Nonequilibrium dynamics of spin-orbit-coupled lattice bosons.

We study the nonequilibrium dynamics of two-component bosonic atoms in a one-dimensional optical lattice in the presence of spin-orbit coupling. In the Mott-insulating regime, the two-component bosonic system at unity filling can be described by the quantum spin X X Z model. The atoms are initially prepared in their lower spin states. The system becomes out of equilibrium by suddenly introducing spin-orbit coupling to the atoms. The system shows the relaxation and nonstationary dynamics, respectively, in the different interaction regimes. We find that the time average of magnetization is useful to characterize the many-body dynamics. The effects of even and odd numbers of sites are discussed. Our result sheds light on nonequilibrium dynamics due to the interplay between spin-orbit coupling and atomic interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]