We study quasi-two-dimensional dipolar Bose gases in which the bosons experience a Rashba spin-orbit coupling. We show that the degenerate dispersion minimum due to the spin-orbit coupling, combined with the long-range dipolar interaction, can stabilize a number of quantum crystalline and quasicrystalline ground states. Coupling the bosons to a fermionic species can further stabilize these phas...

The influence of mercury as a heavy atom on the spin orbit coupling is investigated in bis(phenylethinyl)-mercury and its deuterated derivative. From the experimental results we draw the following conclusions: a) the symmetry of the molecule is D2 , b) the large spin orbit coupling of the mercury atom is introduced via djr p^-interaction, c) local a jr-transitions and vibronic coupling are of n...

The analysis of NMR spin-spin coupling leads to a unique insight into the electronic structure of closed-shell molecules, provided one is able to decode the different features of the spin-spin coupling mechanism. For this purpose, the physics of spin-spin coupling is described and the way how spin-spin coupling constants (SSCCs) can be quantum mechanically determined. Based on this insight, a s...

We consider a trapped atomic system in the presence of spatially varying laser fields. The laser-atom interaction generates a pseudospin degree of freedom (referred to simply as spin) and leads to an effective spin-orbit coupling for the fermions in the trap. Reflections of the fermions from the trap boundaries provide a physical mechanism for effective momentum relaxation and nontrivial spin d...

We review recent theoretical developments about the role of spins, electron-electron interactions, and spin-orbit coupling in metal nanoparticles and semiconductor quantum dots. For a closed system, in the absence of spin-orbit coupling or of an external magnetic field, electron-electron interactions make it possible to have ground states with spin S > 1/2. We review here a theoretical analysis...