Critical dynamics of spontaneous symmetry breaking in a homogeneous Bose gas
Abstract
Cooling a physical system through a phase transition typically makes it less symmetrical. If the cooling is done very slowly, this symmetry change is uniform throughout the system. For a faster cooling process, the system breaks up into domains: The faster the cooling, the smaller the domains. Navon et al. studied this process in an ultracold gas of Rb atoms near its transition to a condensed state (see the Perspective by Ferrari). The authors found that the size of the domains froze in time in the vicinity of the transition and that it depended on the cooling speed, as predicted by theory.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jan 09, 2015
- Source ID
- 10.1126/science.1258676
Entities
People
- Alexander L. Gaunt
- Nir Navon
- Robert P Smith
- Zoran Hadzibabic
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Army Research Office
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- University of Cambridge