Quench Instabilities of a Strongly Interacting Quantum Gas in an Optical Cavity
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Recent quench experiments on ultracold atoms in optical cavities provide a clean platform for studying how long-range interactions in atomic media structure their nonequilibrium dynamics. Motivated by these experiments, we provide a theoretical analysis of the quench instabilities that lead to the formation of superradiance as the hybrid system is driven across the self-organization transition. Working with both ultracold bosonic and fermionic gases, we compute the rate at which order forms and quantify the fluctuations of the prequench state that seed the instability. Our results quantitatively match existing experiments on free fermions and make predictions for quench experiments involving interacting Bose and Fermi gases. Our Letter suggests that the nonlocal nature of the photon-mediated interactions generates ordering dynamics that are qualitatively different than those observed in short-range interacting systems.
Source: Physical Review Letters
DOI: 10.1103/w2vx-t1mr
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Science Foundation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Labex, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Henri Poincaré, Staatssekretariat für Bildung, Forschung und Innovation, Army Research Office, National Center of Competence in Research Spin Qubit in Silicon
OpenAlex ID: W7152531787