A rapidly expanding Bose-Einstein condensate: an expanding universe in the lab

We study the dynamics of a supersonically expanding ring-shaped Bose-Einstein condensate both experimentally and theoretically. The expansion redshifts long-wavelength excitations, as in an expanding universe. After expansion, energy in the radial mode leads to the production of bulk topological exc...

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Veröffentlicht in:Physical review. X 2018-04, Vol.8 (2), p.021021, Article 021021
Hauptverfasser: Eckel, S, Kumar, A, Jacobson, T, Spielman, I B, Campbell, G K
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:We study the dynamics of a supersonically expanding ring-shaped Bose-Einstein condensate both experimentally and theoretically. The expansion redshifts long-wavelength excitations, as in an expanding universe. After expansion, energy in the radial mode leads to the production of bulk topological excitations - solitons and vortices - driving the production of a large number of azimuthal phonons and, at late times, causing stochastic persistent currents. These complex nonlinear dynamics, fueled by the energy stored coherently in one mode, are reminiscent of a type of "preheating" that may have taken place at the end of inflation.
ISSN:2160-3308
2160-3308
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevX.8.021021