Correlated spontaneous symmetry breaking induced by zero-point fluctuations in a quantum mixture

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel form of spontaneous symmetry breaking in a quantum mixture, driven by zero-point quantum fluctuations, leading to correlated spin orientations that can be experimentally observed.

Contribution

It demonstrates how zero-point quantum fluctuations induce correlated symmetry breaking in a two-species spin-1 Bose gas mixture, a phenomenon not previously described.

Findings

Quantum fluctuations lift degeneracy of spin orientations

Correlation or locking between spin directors established

Persistence of effects under trapping potential and magnetic fields

Abstract

We propose a form of spontaneous symmetry breaking driven by zero-point quantum fluctuations. To be specific, we consider the low-energy dynamics of a mixture of two species of spin-$1$ Bose gases. It is demonstrated that the quantum fluctuations lift a degeneracy regarding the relative orientations of the spin directors of the two species, and result in correlation or locking between these macroscopic variables. This locking persists in the presence of the trapping potential and weak magnetic fields, allowing, in principle, an experimental probe of this correlated spontaneous symmetry breaking, as a macroscopic manifestation of zero-point quantum fluctuations.