1998/11/20 by Nuno D. Antunes, Luís M. A. Bettencourt, Luis M. A. Bettencourt +1
Physics and Astronomy · #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Quantum, superfluid, helium dynamics #Theoretical and Computational Physics #hep-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.82.2824
published as Phys.Rev.Lett.82:2824-2827,1999 · 4 pages, 4 figures, RevTex
arxiv created 1998/11/20 · openalex publication_date 1999/04/05 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
We report the first large scale numerical study of the dynamics of a second order phase transition caused by a gradual decrease of temperature in a U(1) \ensuremathλ\ensuremathφ4 theory in three spatial dimensions. We present a detailed account of the dynamics of the fields and focus on vortex string formation as a function of the quench rate. The results are found in good agreement with the theory of defect formation proposed by Kibble and Zurek.