Kibble-Zurek Mechanism
Topological defect formation during phase transitions
Temperature: — | Defects: — | Phase: —
The Kibble-Zurek mechanism predicts defect formation when a system is quenched through
a phase transition. Above Tc, the order parameter phase is random in disconnected domains.
Below Tc, alignment spreads at finite speed — causally disconnected regions choose different phases,
creating topological defects (vortices for XY-model). Defect density scales as
nd ~ τQ−ν/(1+zν), confirmed in liquid crystals, superfluids, and cosmology.