Speaker
Alex Jenkins
(University of Cambridge)
Description
False vacuum decay plays a pivotal role in the physics of the early Universe. However, we lack a satisfying theoretical understanding of this process, with existing approaches working only in imaginary time, and relying on untested assumptions and approximations. 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 summarise recent theoretical work to understand this analogy, and will present the latest experimental results from this programme.
Author
Alex Jenkins
(University of Cambridge)