Journal Article

From Cosmology to Cold Atoms: Observation of Sakharov Oscillations in a Quenched Atomic Superfluid

Hung, Chen-Lung, Gurarie, Victor, Chin, Cheng

2013

Overview

Predicting the dynamics of many-body systems far from equilibrium is a challenging theoretical problem. A long-predicted phenomenon in hydrodynamic nonequilibrium systems is the occurrence of Sakharov oscillations, which manifest in the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background and the large-scale correlations of galaxies. Here, we report the observation of Sakharov oscillations in the density fluctuations of a quenched atomic superfluid through a systematic study in both space and time domains and with tunable interaction strengths. Our work suggests a different approach to the study of nonequilibrium dynamics of quantum many-body systems and the exploration of their analogs in cosmology and astrophysics.

• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science,The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subject: Anisotropy / Astronomy / Atomic clocks / Atomic interactions / Atoms / Atoms & subatomic particles / Cesium / Circles / cold / Cold atoms / Cosmic microwave background / Cosmic microwave background radiation / Cosmology / Dynamic tests / Earth, ocean, space / Exact sciences and technology / Fluid dynamics / Fluids / Hydrodynamics / Observation / Oscillations / Oscillators / Particle-theory and field-theory models of the early universe (including cosmic pancakes, cosmic strings, chaotic phenomena, inflationary universe, etc.) / Phonons / Physics / Quenching (cooling) / Spectral energy distribution / Stellar systems. Galactic and extragalactic objects and systems. The universe / Superfluidity / Waves