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Topological defect formation and dynamics in ion Coulomb crystals

Heather Partner, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt

(Session 8 : Friday from 3:00pm - 3:30pm)

Topological defects (kinks) in laboratory systems have attracted recent interest because of their universal nature. In our system, kinks form during nonlinear quenches from the linear to zigzag phase in Coulomb crystals of about 30 172Yb+ ions in a segmented linear trap. I will present our experimental study of probabilistic kink creation in the context of the Kibble-Zurek mechanism, which predicts a scaling for defect creation as a function of quench rate, and discuss the effects of inhomogeneity and finite size in such systems. In addition, I will describe the dynamics of such defects and how they can be controllably modified. These methods provide a toolbox for using kinks to study phase transitions and soliton physics, and as a potential carrier of quantum information.