Energy band structure of spin-1 condensates in optical lattices

The energy band structure of spin-1 condensates with repulsive spin-independent and either ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic spin-dependent interactions in one-dimensional (1D) periodic optical lattices is discussed. Within the two-mode approximation, Bloch bands of spin-1 condensates are presented. The results show that the Bloch bands exhibit a complex structure as the atom density of m_F=0 hyperfine state increases: bands splitting, reversion, intersection and loop structure are excited subsequently. The complex band structure should be related to the tunneling and spin-mixing dynamics.