Physics (Internal)

First observation of shock waves in a Unitary Fermi Gas

This event is part of the Condensed Matter Theory Seminar Series.

Abstract:
We study non-equilibrium dynamics in a Unitary Fermi gas in collaboration with Duke. We find that the collision between two atomic clouds exhibits exotic nonlinear hydrodynamics distinguished by the formation of a peak at the center of the trap and subsequent evolution into a box-like shape. This experiment was understood by using a dimensionally reduced quasi-1D form of the hydrodynamic equations of motion and we found a near perfect agreement with the experiment. We see a clear evidence of shock wave formation. This is a hallmark of nonlinear physics in a universal quantum hydrodynamic system, where the interactions are understood and tunable. In addition, we present non-equilibrium dynamics in another family of interacting quantum system (with inverse-square interaction) and we will show that this is very similar to systems with delta interactions.