Speaker
Alexander Jenkins
(Cambridge U)
Description
First-order phase transitions play a pivotal role in many models of particle physics and the early Universe, and are a key target of current and future gravitational-wave observatories. 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. A promising route forward is to use cold-atom systems which undergo phase transitions that are analogous to those in the early Universe. In this talk, I will present recent theoretical work to understand this analogy using semiclassical lattice simulations, and will discuss possibilities and challenges for realising these analogues in the laboratory.
Primary author
Alexander Jenkins
(Cambridge U)
