Dynamical Phase Transition From Nonequilibrium Dynamics Of Dark Solitons

By holographic duality, we identify a novel dynamical phase transition which results from the temperature dependence of nonequilibrium dynamics of dark solitons in a superfluid. For a nonequilibrium superfluid system with an initial density of dark solitons, there exists a critical temperature T-d, above which the system relaxes to equilibrium by producing sound waves, while below which it goes through an intermediate phase with a finite density of vortex-antivortex pairs. In particular, as T (d) is approached from below, the density of vortex pairs scales as (T-d - T)(gamma) with the critical exponent gamma = 1/2.