Quenching to unitarity: Quantum dynamics in a 3D Bose gas

ORAL

Abstract

We study the dynamics of a zero temperature Bose condensate following a sudden quench of the scattering length from noninteracting to unitarity (infinite scattering length). In this talk we discuss how a qualitative understanding of the dynamics can be built up by understanding few-body physics under the same dynamical scenario. We calculate the coherent evolution of the momentum distribution, particularly focusing on the time dependence of the contact. By comparing the results to a many-body mean-field calculation, we gauge the qualitative and quantitative accuracy of this approach. We then discuss the results of a three-body calculation, in which loss dynamics occurs due to three-body recombination. One the key results of this work indicates that loss dynamics takes place over a much longer timescale than the coherent dynamics. This exciting result supports the idea that meta-stable degenerate unitary Bose gases may be experimentally observable in such a non-equilibrium scenario.

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Authors

  • Andrew Sykes

    JILA, University of Colorado and National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0440, USA

  • John Corson

    JILA, University of Colorado and National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0440, USA, JILA, NIST, and the University of Colorado, Boulder

  • Jose D'Incao

    JILA, University of Colorado and National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0440, USA

  • Andrew Koller

    JILA and University of Colorado, Boulder, JILA, University of Colorado and National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0440, USA

  • John Bohn

    JILA, University of Colorado and National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0440, USA

  • Ana Maria Rey

    JILA, University of Colorado and National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0440, USA

  • Kaden Hazzard

    JILA, NIST and Dept. of Physics, CU Boulder, JILA, University of Colorado and National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0440, USA, JILA, JILA, NIST, and University of Colorado, Boulder

  • Chris H. Greene

    Dept. of Physics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2036, USA, Physics department of Purdue University