Non-equilibrium behavior of the formation of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a disordered one-dimensional optical lattice

ORAL

Abstract

Equilibrium many-body dynamics is well described by statistical thermodynamics, but non-equilibrium systems are more common in nature and also much more difficult to study. A familiar example of a system driven by non-equilibrium thermodynamics is a laser. Some other notable laboratory examples are experiments in superfluid $^{3}$He, liquid crystals, and superconducting films. There are fundamental questions, such as how a closed system reaches equilibrium, global or local. Does the final state retain memory of the initial state? The control and measurement tools available in ultra-cold atom experiments make for a promising laboratory to study these quantum dynamics. We will report on the progress of experiments investigating the many-body dynamics of condensation formation in a single period and disordered one-dimensional optical lattice. This work is partially supported by the ARO.

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Authors

  • Emily Edwards

    • Joint Quantum Institute and Department of Physics, University of Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology
    • Joint Quantum Institute, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology

  • Matthew Beeler

    • Joint Quantum Institute and Department of Physics, University of Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology
    • Joint Quantum Institute, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology

  • Tao Hong

    • Joint Quantum Institute and Department of Physics, University of Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology
    • Joint Quantum Institute, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology

  • Steven L. Rolston

    • Joint Quantum Institute and Department of Physics, University of Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology
    • University of Maryland - Joint Quantum Institute
    • University of Maryland
    • Joint Quantum Institute, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology
    • Joint Quantum Institute, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, and National Institute of Standards and Technology, College Park, MD, U. S. A.