Chaotic spin dynamics of elongated spinor condensates

Abstract

Elongated spin-$1$ condensates present a highly non-trivial local magnetization dynamics, due to the interplay between nonlinear and quantum effects stemming from the inhomogeneous density profile. This interplay results in different dynamical regimes after an initial global quench. In particular, we show that the system may display the coexistence of markedly different dynamical domains separated by a robust interface that acts as a spatial excited-state quantum phase transition. Furthermore, the local spinor dynamics may enter a chaotic regime characterized by irregular evolution and exponential sensitivity to initial conditions. We map the universal phase diagram distinguishing regular and chaotic regimes, which may be probed in on-going experiments.