The first experimental proof of vacuum decay has been obtained from an Italian experiment supported theoretically by Newcastle University.
False vacuum decay is the term used in quantum field theory to describe the transition from an unstable state to a true stable state. This is accomplished by the formation of tiny, confined bubbles. Although the frequency of this bubble generation can be predicted theoretically, there hasn’t been much experimental support. Scientists from Newcastle University have recently been part of an international research team that has seen these bubbles emerge in precisely regulated atomic systems for the first time. The results provide experimental proof of bubble generation via false vacuum decay in a quantum system and were published in the journal Nature Physics.
Experimental Methodology and Findings
The conclusions, which validate the decay’s quantum field origin and thermal activation, are corroborated by theoretical simulations and numerical models. This paves the way for the simulation of out-of-equilibrium quantum field phenomena in atomic systems.
A supercooled gas that is less than one microkelvin (one-millionth of a degree) from absolute zero is used in the experiment. Professor Ian Moss and Dr. Tom Billam of Newcastle University were able to provide clear evidence that the bubbles that are observed to form at this temperature are the product of thermally induced vacuum decay.
Impact on Theoretical Physics and Future Research
According to Ian Moss, a professor of theoretical cosmology at Newcastle University’s School of Mathematics, Statistics, and Physics, vacuum decay is believed to have been a key factor in the Big Bang’s formation of space, time, and matter, although no experiment has tested this theory to far. According to particle physics, the `ultimate ecological catastrophe’ would result from the vacuum decay of the Higgs boson, which would modify the laws of physics.
“Using the power of ultracold atom experiments to simulate analogs of quantum physics in other systems – in this case, the early universe itself – is a very exciting area of research at the moment,” said Dr. Tom Billam, Senior Lecturer in Applied Maths/Quantum.
The findings provide fresh perspectives on ferromagnetic quantum phase transitions and the early universe.
Investigating vacuum degradation will take more than this pioneering experiment. Finding vacuum decay at absolute zero, where the process is solely driven by quantum vacuum fluctuations, is the ultimate objective. To this end, a Cambridge experiment, funded by Newcastle as part of the national partnership QSimFP, aims.
