@article {3358, title = {Non-equilibrium critical scaling and universality in a quantum simulator}, year = {2023}, month = {9/19/2023}, abstract = {
Universality and scaling laws are hallmarks of equilibrium phase transitions and critical phenomena. However, extending these concepts to non-equilibrium systems is an outstanding challenge. Despite recent progress in the study of dynamical phases, the universality classes and scaling laws for non-equilibrium phenomena are far less understood than those in equilibrium. In this work, using a trapped-ion quantum simulator with single-ion resolution, we investigate the non-equilibrium nature of critical fluctuations following a quantum quench to the critical point. We probe the scaling of spin fluctuations after a series of quenches to the critical Hamiltonian of a long-range Ising model. With systems of up to 50 spins, we show that the amplitude and timescale of the post-quench fluctuations scale with system size with distinct universal critical exponents. While a generic quench can lead to thermal critical behaviour, we find that a second quench from one critical state to another (i.e. a double quench) results in critical behaviour that does not have an equilibrium counterpart. Our results demonstrate the ability of quantum simulators to explore universal scaling beyond the equilibrium paradigm.
}, url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.10856}, author = {A. De and P. Cook and K. Collins and W. Morong and D. Paz and P. Titum and G. Pagano and A. V. Gorshkov and M. Maghrebi and C. Monroe} } @article {2761, title = {Singularities in nearly-uniform 1D condensates due to quantum diffusion}, year = {2021}, month = {3/10/2021}, abstract = {Dissipative systems can often exhibit wavelength-dependent loss rates. One prominent example is Rydberg polaritons formed by electromagnetically-induced transparency, which have long been a leading candidate for studying the physics of interacting photons and also hold promise as a platform for quantum information. In this system, dissipation is in the form of quantum diffusion, i.e., proportional to k2 (k being the wavevector) and vanishing at long wavelengths as k\→0. Here, we show that one-dimensional condensates subject to this type of loss are unstable to long-wavelength density fluctuations in an unusual manner: after a prolonged period in which the condensate appears to relax to a uniform state, local depleted regions quickly form and spread ballistically throughout the system. We connect this behavior to the leading-order equation for the nearly-uniform condensate -- a dispersive analogue to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) equation -- which develops singularities in finite time. Furthermore, we show that the wavefronts of the depleted regions are described by purely dissipative solitons within a pair of hydrodynamic equations, with no counterpart in lossless condensates. We close by discussing conditions under which such singularities and the resulting solitons can be physically realized.
}, url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.06293}, author = {Christopher L. Baldwin and P. Bienias and Alexey V. Gorshkov and Michael Gullans and M. Maghrebi} }