Kibble-Zurek scaling and spatial statistics in quenched binary Bose superfluids
The emergence of order from an initially uncorrelated state across a phase transition is a central problem in quantum many-body physics, particularly in multicomponent systems where interactions between components lead to rich nonequilibrium dynamics. While defect formation is known to follow universal scaling laws, prior studies have focused mainly on defect density, leaving their spatial organization largely unexplored. Here we show that gradually tuning the chemical potential in a two-dimensional binary Bose gas drives condensation into either a miscible or immiscible phase. In the immiscible regime, domains form whose number, size, and boundary length obey Kibble-Zurek (KZ) scaling and evolve self-similarly. In the miscible regime, vortices emerge with KZ scaling. In both cases, the spatial distribution of vortices and domains is well described by a Poisson point process with KZ-determined density. These results reveal universal features of far-from-equilibrium dynamics and provide a framework to characterize stochastic geometry in multicomponent quantum systems. Driving a binary quantum gas mixture through a continuous phase transition can create domains or vortices, depending on the interaction regime. Here, the authors show that their formation universally follow Kibble-Zurek scaling and Poisson spatial statistics with predictions testable in ultracold atom experiments.
Authors
- Arko Roy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4459-2880)
- Thudiyangal Mithun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4341-6439)
- Seong-Ho Shinn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2041-5292)
- Adolfo del Campo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2219-2851)
Institutions
- University of Luxembourg (LU)
- Quantum Technologies (Sweden) (SE)
- Donostia International Physics Center (ES)
- Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communications Physics
- Published
- 2026-05-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-026-02668-7
- Primary Topic
- Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Arthritis National Research Foundation
- National Research Foundation
- Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India
- Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg
- Indian Institute of Technology Madras
- Ministry of Electronics and Information technology
- Indian Institute of Technology Mandi
- Science and Engineering Research Board