Universal Coarsening in a Homogeneous Two-Dimensional Bose Gas

TL;DR

This study demonstrates universal coarsening dynamics in a homogeneous two-dimensional Bose gas, confirming analytical predictions and introducing methods to compare cold-atom experiments with non-equilibrium field theory.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental observation of universal scaling in 2D Bose gas coarsening and develops methods for direct comparison with theoretical models.

Findings

Universal scaling exponents match analytical predictions.

Scaling behavior is consistent across different initial states.

Methods enable comparison between experiments and non-equilibrium theories.

Abstract

Coarsening of an isolated far-from-equilibrium quantum system is a paradigmatic many-body phenomenon, relevant from subnuclear to cosmological lengthscales, and predicted to feature universal dynamic scaling. Here, we observe universal scaling in the coarsening of a homogeneous two-dimensional Bose gas, with exponents that match analytical predictions. For different initial states, we reveal universal scaling in the experimentally accessible finite-time dynamics by elucidating and accounting for the initial-state-dependent prescaling effects. The methods we introduce establish direct comparison between cold-atom experiments and non-equilibrium field theory, and are applicable to any study of universality far from equilibrium.