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Institute for Quantum Physics
Institute for
Quantum Physics

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Spontaneous Pattern Formation in an Anti-Ferromagnetic Quantum Gas

15 April 2009

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Photo: AG Sengstock

We have observed spontaneous formation of wave-like magnetic patterns in a spinor BEC. Characteristic modes appear across a broad range of the magnetic field acting as a control parameter. The patterns can be related to specific unstable modes obtainable from linear stability analysis and open new prospects for controlled studies of symmetry breaking in the quantum domain.

Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 090402 (2010)

http://arxiv.org/abs/0904.2339

Latest articles

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Photo: AG Sengstock

01.01.2018|ILP Sengstock
Symmetry-broken momentum distributions induced by matter-wave diffraction during time-of-flight expansion of ultracold atoms

We study several effects which lead to symmetry-broken momentum distributions of quantum gases released from optical lattices. In particular, we demonstrate that interaction within the first milliseconds of the time-of-flight expansion can strongly alter the measurement of the initial atomic...

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Photo: AG Sengstock

06.07.2017|ILP Sengstock
Time-reversal symmetry breaking in 1D superfluids

We found a superfluid which spontaneously breaks the time-reversal symmetry in one-dimensional optical lattices. This twisted superfluid is characterized by an exponentially closing energy gap and long-range correlations. The quantum phase transition to the twisted superfluid phase is driven by...