Quantum collapses and revivals of a matter wave in the dynamics of symmetry breaking

Abstract

Using the remarkable mathematical construct of Eugene Wigner to visualize quantum trajectories in phase space, quantum processes can be described in terms of a quasi-probability distribution analogous to the phase space probability distribution of the classical realm. In contrast to the incomplete glimpse of the wave function that is achievable in a single shot experiment, the Wigner distribution, accessible by quantum state tomography, reflects the full quantum state. We show that during the fundamental symmetry-breaking process of a generic quantum system - with a symmetry breaking field driving the quantum system far from equilibrium - the Wigner distribution evolves continuously with the system undergoing a sequence of revivals into the symmetry unbroken state, followed by collapses onto a quasi-classical state akin the one realised in infinite size systems. We show that generically this state is completely delocalised both in momentum and in real space.

6 pages, 4 figures

References in corpus (4)

• Supplementary Information to the paper ``Breakdown of the adiabatic limit in low dimensional gapless systems''
• Breakdown of the adiabatic limit in low dimensional gapless systems
• On the relation between decoherence and spontaneous symmetry breaking
• Coherence lifetimes of excitations in an atomic condensate due to the thin spectrum