Non-equilibrium behavior of the formation of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a disordered one-dimensional optical lattice

ORAL

Abstract

Equilibrium many-body dynamics is well described by statistical thermodynamics, but non-equilibrium systems are more common in nature and also much more difficult to study. A familiar example of a system driven by non-equilibrium thermodynamics is a laser. Some other notable laboratory examples are experiments in superfluid $^{3}$He, liquid crystals, and superconducting films. There are fundamental questions, such as how a closed system reaches equilibrium, global or local. Does the final state retain memory of the initial state? The control and measurement tools available in ultra-cold atom experiments make for a promising laboratory to study these quantum dynamics. We will report on the progress of experiments investigating the many-body dynamics of condensation formation in a single period and disordered one-dimensional optical lattice. This work is partially supported by the ARO.

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Authors

  • Emily Edwards

    Joint Quantum Institute and Department of Physics, University of Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Joint Quantum Institute, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology

  • Matthew Beeler

    Joint Quantum Institute and Department of Physics, University of Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Joint Quantum Institute, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology

  • Tao Hong

    Joint Quantum Institute and Department of Physics, University of Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Joint Quantum Institute, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology

  • Steven L. Rolston

    Joint Quantum Institute and Department of Physics, University of Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology, University of Maryland - Joint Quantum Institute, University of Maryland, Joint Quantum Institute, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Joint Quantum Institute, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, and National Institute of Standards and Technology, College Park, MD, U. S. A.