2000 character limit reached
A rapidly expanding Bose-Einstein condensate: an expanding universe in the lab (1710.05800v2)
Published 16 Oct 2017 in cond-mat.quant-gas, gr-qc, and hep-th
Abstract: We study the dynamics of a supersonically expanding ring-shaped Bose-Einstein condensate both experimentally and theoretically. The expansion redshifts long-wavelength excitations, as in an expanding universe. After expansion, energy in the radial mode leads to the production of bulk topological excitations -- solitons and vortices -- driving the production of a large number of azimuthal phonons and, at late times, causing stochastic persistent currents. These complex nonlinear dynamics, fueled by the energy stored coherently in one mode, are reminiscent of a type of "preheating" that may have taken place at the end of inflation.