2010/01/05 by Myoung-Sun Heo, Yong Hee Kim, Yonghee Kim +7 · 1 citation
Computer Science · Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Atom (system on chip) #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Condensed matter physics #Ideal (ethics) #Mathematics #Mean field theory #Modulation (music) #Non-equilibrium thermodynamics #Phase transition #Physics #Quantum #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum mechanics #Quantum, superfluid, helium dynamics #Spontaneous symmetry breaking #Statistical physics #Symmetry (geometry) #Symmetry breaking #Translational symmetry #Ultracold atom #cond-mat.mes-hall #cond-mat.stat-mech
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreve.82.031134
arxiv created 2010/01/05 · openalex publication_date 2010/09/24 · arxiv updated 2015/05/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We show that an atomic system in a periodically modulated optical trap displays an ideal mean-field symmetry-breaking transition. The symmetry is broken with respect to time translation by the modulation period. We describe experimental observations and develop a full microscopic theory of the observed critical phenomena. The transition is explained as resulting from the interplay of the long-range interatomic interaction and nonequilibrium fluctuations in the strongly modulated system. The observations, including anomalous fluctuations in the symmetry broken phase, are fully described by the theory.