Universality of Bose-Einstein Condensation and Quenched Formation Dynamics

TL;DR

This paper reviews the universal features of Bose-Einstein condensation and the dynamics leading to coherence in quantum systems, highlighting experimental observations and theoretical models across different physical contexts.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the universal dynamical phenomena in Bose-Einstein condensation, including non-equilibrium features and their experimental relevance.

Findings

Universal features in non-equilibrium dynamics of quantum gases

Observation of symmetry-breaking and phase-ordering kinetics

Application of concepts to large-scale dark matter distribution

Abstract

The emergence of macroscopic coherence in a many-body quantum system is a ubiquitous phenomenon across different physical systems and scales. This Chapter reviews key concepts characterizing such systems (correlation functions, condensation, quasi-condensation) and applies them to the study of emerging non-equilibrium features in the dynamical path towards such a highly-coherent state: particular emphasis is placed on emerging universal features in the dynamics of conservative and open quantum systems, their equilibrium or non-equilibrium nature, and the extent that these can be observed in current experiments with quantum gases. Characteristic examples include symmetry-breaking in the Kibble-Zurek mechanism, coarsening and phase-ordering kinetics, and universal spatiotemporal scalings around non-thermal fixed points and in the context of the Kardar- Parisi-Zhang equation; the Chapter concludes with a brief review of the potential relevance of some of these concepts in modelling the large-scale distribution of dark matter in the universe.