Exploring dynamical phase transitions with cold atoms in an optical  cavity

Interactions between atoms and light in optical cavities provide a means of investigating collective (many-body) quantum physics in controlled environments. Such ensembles of atoms in cavities have been proposed for studying collective quantum spin models, where the atomic internal levels mimic a spin degree of freedom and interact through long-range interactions tunable by changing the cavity parameters 1 – 4 . Non-classical steady-state phases arising from the interplay between atom–light interactions and dissipation of light from the cavity have previously been investigated 5 – 11 . These systems also offer the opportunity to study dynamical phases of matter that are precluded from existence at equilibrium but can be stabilized by driving a system out of equilibrium 12 – 16 , as demonstrated by recent experiments 17 – 22 . These phases can also display universal behaviours akin to standard equilibrium phase transitions 8 , 23 , 24 . Here, we use an ensemble of about a million strontium-88 atoms in an optical cavity to simulate a collective Lipkin–Meshkov–Glick model 25 , 26 , an iconic model in quantum magnetism, and report the observation of distinct dynamical phases of matter in this system. Our system allows us to probe the dependence of dynamical phase transitions on system size, initial state and other parameters. These observations can be linked to similar dynamical phases in related systems, including the Josephson effect in superfluid helium 27 , or coupled atomic 28 and solid-state polariton 29 condensates. The system itself offers potential for generation of metrologically useful entangled states in optical transitions, which could permit quantum enhancement in state-of-the-art atomic clocks 30 , 31 . Interactions between light and an ensemble of strontium atoms in an optical cavity can serve as a testbed for studying dynamical phase transitions, which are currently not well understood.