Kibble-Zurek Mechanism — Defect Formation in Phase Transitions

Quench dynamics through a continuous phase transition · topological defect density scaling
50
40
0.67
2.0
Kibble-Zurek: as the system is quenched through Tᶜ with rate τQ, causally disconnected domains choose independent order parameters. Defect density scales as n ∝ τQ^(−ν/(1+νz)). Colored regions = domains; red circles = topological defects (vortices/domain walls). Right panel: n vs τQ showing KZ power law. The system cannot order fast enough when quenching quickly → more defects.