Generation of wave turbulence in dipolar gases driven across their phase transitions

TL;DR

This paper investigates how dipolar quantum gases, driven across phase transitions, develop wave turbulence characterized by self-similar momentum distributions, revealing new insights into out-of-equilibrium dynamics and turbulence in long-range interacting systems.

Contribution

It demonstrates the emergence of wave turbulence and self-similar states in dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates during phase transitions, linking supersolidity and turbulence in quantum gases.

Findings

Observation of algebraic decay in momentum distributions

Identification of turbulence promotion by supersolidity

Development of a nonequilibrium quasi-steady state

Abstract

Ultracold quantum gases with long-range anisotropic interactions host novel exotic phases of matter, such as supersolids, exhibiting both rigid and superfluid characteristics. The impact of this interplay on the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of dipolar gases, and in particular its connection with universal turbulent behavior, remains highly unexplored. Here, upon considering a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate of dysprosium atoms being dynamically driven across the supersolid-superfluid phase transition and vice versa, we unveil the emergence of a robust nonequilibrium quasi-steady state. This state displays self-similar momentum distributions exhibiting algebraic decay at large momenta, with scaling exponents supporting the existence of wave turbulence. We demonstrate that supersolidity sustaining higher-lying momenta, associated with the roton minimum, promotes the development of turbulence. Our results provide a stepping stone toward unraveling and exploiting turbulent and self-similar behavior in anisotropically long-range interacting quantum gases amenable in current experiments.