Non-adiabatic quantum phase transition in a trapped spinor condensate

TL;DR

This paper investigates how an external harmonic trap influences the non-adiabatic quantum phase transition in a spin-1 atomic condensate, revealing modified scaling laws and persistent double universality due to local magnetization transfer.

Contribution

It demonstrates that double universality persists in a trapped system and derives new scaling laws considering local magnetization dynamics.

Findings

Double universality persists with a trap.

Scaling exponents are significantly modified by magnetization transfer.

Scaling laws are derived from a diffusive-drift relaxation process.

Abstract

We study the effect of an external harmonic trapping potential on an outcome of the non-adiabatic quantum phase transition from an antiferromagnetic to a phase-separated state in a spin-1 atomic condensate. Previously, we demonstrated that the dynamics of an untrapped system exhibits double universality with two different scaling laws appearing due to conservation of magnetization. We show that in the presence of a trap double universality persists. However, the corresponding scaling exponents are strongly modified by transfer of local magnetization across the system. The values of these exponents cannot be explained by the effect of causality alone, as in the spinless case. We derive the appropriate scaling laws based on a slow diffusive-drift relaxation process in the local density approximation.