Universal coarsening in a homogeneous two-dimensional Bose gas

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Quantum Gases
• Many-Body Physics

Background:

• Coarsening in isolated quantum systems far from equilibrium is a key phenomenon.
• This process is predicted to exhibit universal dynamic scaling across various scales.
• Understanding this universality is crucial for diverse scientific fields.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally observe and verify universal dynamic scaling in a quantum system.
• To investigate the finite-time dynamics of coarsening in a Bose gas.
• To develop methods for comparing experimental results with theoretical predictions.

Main Methods:

• Experimental observation of coarsening in a homogeneous two-dimensional Bose gas.
• Analysis of universal scaling behavior and dynamic exponents.
• Elucidation and accounting for initial-state-dependent prescaling effects.

Main Results:

• Confirmed universal scaling in the coarsening of the Bose gas.
• Experimental exponents precisely matched analytical predictions.
• Demonstrated universal scaling in finite-time dynamics by correcting for initial conditions.

Conclusions:

• The study provides experimental evidence for universal dynamic scaling in quantum coarsening.
• Introduced methods facilitate direct comparison between cold-atom experiments and nonequilibrium field theory.
• The findings are broadly applicable to studies of universality in systems far from equilibrium.