The formation of an equilibrium state from an uncorrelated thermal one through the dynamical crossing of a phase transition is a central question of quantum many-body physics. During such crossing, the system breaks its symmetry by establishing numerous uncorrelated regions separated by spontaneously generated defects, whose emergence obeys a universal scaling law with quench duration. The ensuing re-equilibrating or "coarse-graining" stage is governed by the evolution and interactions of such defects under system-specific and external constraints. We perform a detailed numerical characterisation of the entire non-equilibrium process associated with the Bose-Einstein condensation phase transition in a three-dimensional gas of ultracold atoms, addressing subtle issues and demonstrating the quench-induced decoupling of condensate atom number and coherence growth during the re-equilibration process. Our findings agree, in a statistical sense, with experimental observations made at the later stages of the quench, and provide valuable information and useful dynamical visualisations in currently experimentally inaccessible regimes.

Dynamical equilibration across a quenched phase transition in a trapped quantum gas / Liu, I. -K.; Donadello, S.; Lamporesi, G.; Ferrari, G.; Gou, S. -C.; Dalfovo, F.; Proukakis, N. P.. - In: COMMUNICATIONS PHYSICS. - ISSN 2399-3650. - 1:1(2018). [10.1038/s42005-018-0023-6]

Dynamical equilibration across a quenched phase transition in a trapped quantum gas

Donadello, S.;
2018

Abstract

The formation of an equilibrium state from an uncorrelated thermal one through the dynamical crossing of a phase transition is a central question of quantum many-body physics. During such crossing, the system breaks its symmetry by establishing numerous uncorrelated regions separated by spontaneously generated defects, whose emergence obeys a universal scaling law with quench duration. The ensuing re-equilibrating or "coarse-graining" stage is governed by the evolution and interactions of such defects under system-specific and external constraints. We perform a detailed numerical characterisation of the entire non-equilibrium process associated with the Bose-Einstein condensation phase transition in a three-dimensional gas of ultracold atoms, addressing subtle issues and demonstrating the quench-induced decoupling of condensate atom number and coherence growth during the re-equilibration process. Our findings agree, in a statistical sense, with experimental observations made at the later stages of the quench, and provide valuable information and useful dynamical visualisations in currently experimentally inaccessible regimes.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11696/73438
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