The Dicke Quantum Phase Transition with a Superfluid Gas in an Optical Cavity

Understand

A phase transition describes the sudden change of state in a physical system, such as the transition between a fluid and a solid.

• Quantum gases provide the opportunity to establish a direct link between experiment and generic models which capture the underlying physics.
• A fundamental concept to describe the collective matter-light interaction is the Dicke model which has been predicted to show an intriguing quantum phase transition.
• Here we realize the Dicke quantum phase transition in an open system formed by a Bose-Einstein condensate coupled to an optical cavity, and observe the emergence of a self-organized supersolid phase.