Related papers: Fluctuations and Phase Transition Dynamics
Zurek has provided simple causal bounds for the onset of phase transitions in condensed matter, that mirror those proposed by Kibble for relativistic quantum field theory. In this paper we show how earlier experiments with annular Josephson…
Topological defects are thought to be left behind by the cosmological phase transitions which occur as the universe expands and cools. Similar processes can be studied in the phase transitions which take place in the laboratory:…
Topological defects are ubiquitous in physics. Whenever a symmetry breaking phase transition occurs, topological defects may form. The best known examples are vortex lines in type II super conductors or in liquid Helium, and declination…
We study the dynamic after a smooth quench across a continuous transition from the disordered phase to the ordered phase. Based on scaling ideas, linear response and the spectrum of unstable modes, we develop a theoretical framework, valid…
We examine the Zurek scenario for the production of vortices in quenches of liquid $^{4}He$ in the light of recent experiments. Extending our previous results to later times, we argue that short wavelength thermal fluctuations make vortices…
The status quo in our understanding of defect formation during a rapid transition into the broken symmetry state in condensed matter and cosmology is discussed. An observation of vortex nucleation in neutron absorption experiments in…
In parallel with Kibble's description of the onset of phase transitions in the early universe, Zurek has provided a simple picture for the onset of phase transitions in condensed matter systems, strongly supported by agreement with…
We examine the basic assumptions underlying a scenario due to Kibble that is widely used to estimate the production of topological defects. We argue that one of the crucial assumptions, namely the geodesic rule, although completely valid…
Simple causal arguments put forward by Kibble and Zurek suggest that the scaling behaviour of condensed matter at continuous transitions is related to the familiar universality classes of the systems at quasi-equilibrium. Although proposed…
Quantum phase transitions (QPTs) involve transformations between different states of matter that are driven by quantum fluctuations. These fluctuations play a dominant role in the quantum critical region surrounding the transition point,…
General conditions for the occurrence of mesoscopic phase fluctuations in condensed matter are considered. The description of different thermodynamic phases, which coexist as a mixture of mesoscopically separated regions, is based on the…
Formation of topological defects during symmetry breaking phase transitions via the {\it Kibble mechanism} is extensively used in systems ranging from condensed matter physics to the early stages of the universe. Kibble mechanism uses…
We use the closed time-path formalism to calculate fluctuations at phase transitions, both in and out of equilibrium. Specifically, we consider the creation of vortices by fluctuations, of relevance to the early universe and to $^{4}He$…
We consider gauge vortices in symmetry breaking models with a non-canonical kinetic term. This work extends our previous study on global topological k-defects (hep-th/0608071), including a gauge field. The model consists of a scalar field…
The Kibble-Zurek mechanism (KZM) predicts that the average number of topological defects generated upon crossing a continuous or quantum phase transition obeys a universal scaling law with the quench time. Fluctuations in the defect number…
When a symmetry gets spontaneously broken in a phase transition, topological defects are typically formed. The theoretical picture of how this happens in a breakdown of a global symmetry, the Kibble-Zurek mechanism, is well established and…
It is now widely accepted that quenches through the critical region of quantum phase transitions result in post-transition states populated with topological defects -- analogs of the classical topological defects. However, consequences of…
Kinks, vortices, monopoles are extended objects, or defects, of quantum origin with topologically non-trivial properties and macroscopic behavior. They are described in Quantum Field Theory in terms of non-homogeneous boson condensation. I…
The control of condensed matter systems out of equilibrium by laser pulses allows us to investigate the system trajectories through symmetry-breaking phase transitions. Thus the evolution of both collective modes and single particle…
Near a continuous phase transition, systems with different microscopic origins display universal dynamics if their underlying symmetries are compatible. In a thermally quenched system, the Kibble-Zurek mechanism for the creation of…