Non-equilibrium quantum dynamics and formation of the Bose polaron

Advancing our understanding of non-equilibrium phenomena in quantum many-body systems remains among the greatest challenges in physics. Here, we report on the experimental observation of a paradigmatic many-body problem, namely the non-equilibrium dynamics of a quantum impurity immersed in a bosonic...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2021-04
Main Authors: Skou, Magnus G, Skov, Thomas G, Jørgensen, Nils B, Nielsen, Kristian K, Camacho-Guardian, Arturo, Pohl, Thomas, Bruun, Georg M, Arlt, Jan J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Environmental monitoring
Equilibrium
Evolution
Impurities
Polarons
Quantum phenomena
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Advancing our understanding of non-equilibrium phenomena in quantum many-body systems remains among the greatest challenges in physics. Here, we report on the experimental observation of a paradigmatic many-body problem, namely the non-equilibrium dynamics of a quantum impurity immersed in a bosonic environment. We use an interferometric technique to prepare coherent superposition states of atoms in a Bose-Einstein condensate with a small impurity-state component, and monitor the evolution of such quantum superpositions into polaronic quasiparticles. These results offer a systematic picture of polaron formation from weak to strong impurity interactions. They reveal three distinct regimes of evolution with dynamical transitions that provide a link between few-body processes and many-body dynamics. Our measurements reveal universal dynamical behavior in interacting many-body systems and demonstrate new pathways to study non-equilibrium quantum phenomena.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.2005.00424