Nonthermal fixed points in far-from-equilibrium quantum gases

After a sudden strong disturbance, a quantum gas can pass through a long stage in which its correlations keep the same shape while stretching in time by a power law, before it reaches equilibrium. These stages, called nonthermal fixed points, appear universal in the way critical points are universal in equilibrium.

Why it matters

They would extend universality classes from equilibrium to far-from-equilibrium dynamics, with links to heavy-ion collisions and the early universe.

Review

B. Nowak, S. Erne, M. Karl, J. Schole, D. Sexty, T. Gasenzer, Non-thermal fixed points: universality, topology, & turbulence in Bose gases, arXiv (Les Houches lecture notes), 2013. https://arxiv.org/abs/1302.1448 reference checked

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