Quench dynamics in a Bose-Einstein condensate

• Grant number: 24/04219-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Atomic and Molecular Physics
• Principal Investigator: Patrícia Christina Marques Castilho
• Grantee: Pedro Minarelli Gaspar
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In this master's project, we propose to study the quench dynamics in Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) of sodium atoms trapped in an optical trap. To this end, we will address two fronts: the first, already underway in our laboratory, in which we characterize the evolution of an almost pure condensate after a compression quench of its trapping potential; and the second, in which we aim to begin the study of the Kibble-Zurek (KZM) mechanism in a binary BEC composed of two hyperfine states of sodium atoms. In the latter case, it is expected to observe a change in the scaling law for the appearance of topological defects (i.e., quantum vortices) resulting from the KZM along the phase transition from a classical gas to a condensate. We will follow the evolution of the binary condensate in order to evaluate the path towards obtaining a global phase and a state of thermal equilibrium.