Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 140402 (2011) [5 pages]Exploring Symmetry Breaking at the Dicke Quantum Phase TransitionReceived 29 April 2011; revised 18 July 2011; published 30 September 2011 We study symmetry breaking at the Dicke quantum phase transition by coupling a motional degree of freedom of a Bose-Einstein condensate to the field of an optical cavity. Using an optical heterodyne detection scheme, we observe symmetry breaking in real time and distinguish the two superradiant phases. We explore the process of symmetry breaking in the presence of a small symmetry-breaking field and study its dependence on the rate at which the critical point is crossed. Coherent switching between the two ordered phases is demonstrated. © 2011 American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.140402
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.140402
PACS:
05.30.Rt, 11.30.Qc, 37.30.+i, 42.50.-p
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