Observation of generalized Kibble-Zurek mechanism across a first-order quantum phase transition in a spinor condensate.

ABSTRACT: The Kibble-Zurek mechanism provides a unified theory to describe the universal scaling laws in the dynamics when a system is driven through a second-order quantum phase transition. However, for first-order quantum phase transitions, the Kibble-Zurek mechanism is usually not applicable. Here, we experimentally demonstrate and theoretically analyze a power-law scaling in the dynamics of a spin-1 condensate across a first-order quantum phase transition when a system is slowly driven from a polar phase to an antiferromagnetic phase. We show that this power-law scaling can be described by a generalized Kibble-Zurek mechanism. Furthermore, by experimentally measuring the spin population, we show the power-law scaling of the temporal onset of spin excitations with respect to the quench rate, whic

SUBMITTER: Qiu LY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7244309 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature