Dynamical equilibration across a quenched phase transition in a trapped quantum gas

Abstract The formation of an equilibrium state from an uncorrelated thermal one through the dynamical crossing of a phase transition is a central question of quantum many-body physics. During such crossing, the system breaks its symmetry by establishing numerous uncorrelated regions separated by spontaneously generated defects, whose emergence obeys a universal scaling law with quench duration. The ensuing re-equilibrating or “coarse-graining” stage is governed by the evolution and interactions of such defects under system-specific and external constraints. We perform a detailed numerical characterisation of the entire non-equilibrium process associated with the Bose–Einstein condensation phase transition in a three-dimensional gas of ultracold atoms, addressing subtle issues and demonstrating the quench-induced decoupling of condensate atom number and coherence growth during the re-equilibration process. Our findings agree, in a statistical sense, with experimental observations made at the later stages of the quench, and provide valuable information and useful dynamical visualisations in currently experimentally inaccessible regimes.