Double sine-Gordon class of universal coarsening dynamics in a spin-1 Bose gas

Abstract: Far from equilibrium, universal dynamics prevails in many different situations, from pattern coarsening to turbulence, while the understanding of its microscopic laws and classification has remained unsatisfactory. Here, universal scaling evolution reflected by coarsening in a multi-component Bose gas is traced back to a low-energy effective theory given by a double sine-Gordon (DSG) model for a single real scalar field. Our experimental observations of a rubidium spinor BEC support the applicability of this model. Evaluating the scaling evolution according to the low-energy effective model demonstrates the universal aspects of the scaling characteristics as compared with that of the spinor gas. The difference between diffusion-type and sub-diffusive scaling is shown to be connected to the occupation of minima within the DSG potential. Our results point to a path towards a microscopic description and classification of pattern coarsening in many-body systems.