Observation of generalized Kibble-Zurek mechanism across a first-order quantum phase transition in a spinor condensate

Understand

The Kibble-Zurek mechanism provides a unified theory to describe the universal scaling laws in the dynamics when a system is driven through a second-order quantum phase transition.

• However, for first-order quantum phase transitions, the Kibble-Zurek mechanism is usually not applicable.
• Here, we experimentally demonstrate and theoretically analyze a power-law scaling in the dynamics of a spin-1 condensate across a first-order quantum phase transition when a system is slowly driven from a polar phase to an antiferromagnetic phase.
• We show that this power-law scaling can be described by a generalized Kibble-Zurek mechanism.