Abstract:
Quantum phase transitions are transitions between distinct many-body ground states, and are of extensive interest in research ranging from condensed matter physics to cosmology. Key features of the phase transitions include a stage with rapid growth of new order parameter, called inflation in cosmology, followed by the formation of topological defects.
Based on Bose-Einstein condensates of cesium atoms in a shaken lattice, we report the observation of Kibble-Zurek scaling of quantum critical dynamics [1], and inflationary dynamics across the quantum critical point [2]. In particular, the inflation manifests in the exponential growth and high harmonic generations of populations in well-resolved momentum states [3].
[1] Universal space-time scaling symmetry in the dynamics of bosons across a quantum phase transition, Logan W. Clark, Lei Feng, Cheng Chin, Science 354, 606 (2016).
[2] Coherent inflationary dynamics for Bose-Einstein condensates crossing a quantum critical point, Lei Feng, Logan W. Clark, Anita Gaj, Cheng Chin, Nature Physics (2017).
[3] Collective emission of matter-wave jets from driven Bose-Einstein condensates, Logan W. Clark, Anita Gaj, Lei Feng, Cheng Chin,Nature 551, 356 (2017).
Brief Bio:
Education
1995-2001 Ph.D., Physics, Stanford University (Advisor: Steven Chu)
1990-1993 B.S., Physics, National Taiwan University
Academic Position
2015 JILA Visiting Fellow, JILA
2014, 2015 Visiting Professor, Universität München, Munich, Germany
2014, 2015 Guest Scientist, Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Garching, Germany
2014, 2015 Visiting Professor, Universität Ulm, Ulm, Germany
2014 Visiting Professor, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
2013 Visiting Scientist, Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Taiwan
2013 Visiting Scientist, Center for Ultracold Atoms, MIT
2013 Visiting Professor, Physics and Astronomy Department, Rice University
2013- Professor, Enrico Fermi institute, University of Chicago
2013- Professor, James Franck institute, University of Chicago
2013- Professor, Department of Physics, University of Chicago
2009-2012 Associate Professor, James Franck institute, University of Chicago
2009-2012 Associate Professor, Department of Physics, University of Chicago
2005-2008 Assistant Professor, James Franck institute, University of Chicago
2005-2008 Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, University of Chicago
2005 Visiting Professor, ETH, Zurich, Switzerland
2003 Visiting Professor, Institut für Experimentalphysik, Universtät Innsbruck, Austria
2003-2005 Visiting Scientist, Institut für Experimentalphysik, Universtät Innsbruck, Austria
2001-2003 Postdoctoral Fellow, Physics Department, Stanford University
Honors and Awards (since 2003)
2017 Bose-Einstein Condensation Award
2014 American Physical Society Fellow
2014 Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher
2014 Distinguished Alumni Award, Physics Department, National Taiwan University
2013-2015 Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow
2011 I. I. Rabi Prize, American Physics Society
2009 Materials Computation Center Travel Award
2008 IUPAP Young Scientist Prize in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
2008-2012 National Science Foundation CAREER award
2006-2012 The David and Lucile Packard Fellow
2006 Outstanding Young Researcher Award, Overseas Chinese Physics Association
2006-2008 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow
2003-2005 Lise-Meitner Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Austrian Science Fund