Anisotropic dynamics of a spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensate

Abstract: By calculating the density response function we identify the excitation spectrum of a Bose-Einstein condensate with equal Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling. We find that the velocity of sound along the direction of spin-orbit coupling is deeply quenched and vanishes when one approaches the second-order phase transition between the plane wave and the zero momentum quantum phases. We also point out the emergence of a roton minimum in the excitation spectrum for small values of the Raman coupling, providing the onset of the transition to the stripe phase. Our findings point out the occurrence of a strong anisotropy in the dynamic behavior of the gas. A hydrodynamic description accounting for the collective oscillations in both uniform and harmonically trapped gases is also derived.