Group seminar at MPQ and Zoom: Cold-atom analogues for vacuum decay
Alex Jenkins, University of Cambridge, UK
Group seminar at MPQ lecture hall and Zoom
Tuesday, 14 January, 09:00am (MEZ)
False vacuum decay plays a pivotal role in many models of particle physics and the early Universe. However, we lack a satisfying theoretical understanding of this process, with existing approaches working only in imaginary (Euclidean) time, and relying on assumptions that have yet to be empirically tested. In this talk, I will describe ongoing efforts to simulate vacuum decay in tabletop experiments, using ultra-cold atomic condensates which mimic the behaviour of relativistic quantum fields. I will present recent theoretical work to understand this analogy using semiclassical lattice simulations, and will discuss opportunities and challenges for realising these analogues in the laboratory.