Zhang Zhao, Dreon Davide, Esslinger Tilman, Jaksch Dieter, Buca Berislav, Donner Tobias
Institute for Quantum Electronics, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Otto-Stern-Weg 1, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
Institut für Quantenphysik, Universität Hamburg, 22761 Hamburg, Germany.
Commun Phys. 2025;8(1):211. doi: 10.1038/s42005-025-02113-1. Epub 2025 May 22.
Understanding spatial and temporal order in many-body systems is a key challenge, particularly in out-of-equilibrium settings. A major hurdle is developing controlled model systems to study these phases. We propose an experiment with a driven quantum gas coupled to a dissipative optical cavity, realizing a non-equilibrium phase diagram featuring both spatial and temporal order. The system's control parameter is the detuning between the drive frequency and cavity resonance. Negative detunings yield a spatially ordered phase, while positive detunings produce phases with both spatial order and persistent oscillations, forming dissipative spatio-temporal lattices. We also identify a phase where the dynamics dephase, leading to chaotic behavior. Numerical and analytical evidence supports these superradiant phases, showing that the spatio-temporal lattice originates from cavity dissipation. The atoms experience accelerated transport, either via uniform acceleration or abrupt momentum transitions. Our work provides insights into temporal phases of matter not possible at equilibrium.
理解多体系统中的空间和时间秩序是一项关键挑战,特别是在非平衡状态下。一个主要障碍是开发可控的模型系统来研究这些相。我们提出了一个实验,将驱动量子气体与耗散光学腔耦合,实现了一个具有空间和时间秩序的非平衡相图。该系统的控制参数是驱动频率与腔共振之间的失谐。负失谐产生空间有序相,而正失谐产生具有空间秩序和持续振荡的相,形成耗散时空晶格。我们还确定了一个动力学去相位的相,导致混沌行为。数值和分析证据支持这些超辐射相,表明时空晶格起源于腔耗散。原子经历加速传输,要么通过均匀加速,要么通过突然的动量跃迁。我们的工作为平衡状态下不可能出现的物质时间相提供了见解。