We experimentally study the dynamics of a degenerate one-dimensional Bose gas that is subject to a continuous outcoupling of atoms. Although standard evaporative cooling is rendered ineffective by the absence of thermalizing collisions in this system
, we observe substantial cooling. This cooling proceeds through homogeneous particle dissipation and many-body dephasing, enabling the preparation of otherwise unexpectedly low temperatures. Our observations establish a scaling relation between temperature and particle number, and provide insights into equilibration in the quantum world.
Statistical mechanics is one of the most comprehensive theories in physics. From a boiling pot of water to the complex dynamics of quantum many-body systems it provides a successful connection between the microscopic dynamics of atoms and molecules a
nd the macroscopic properties of matter. However, statistical mechanics only describes the thermal equilibrium situation of a system, and there is no general framework to describe how equilibrium is reached or under which circumstances it can be reached at all. This problem is particularly challenging in quantum mechanics, where unitarity appears to render the very concept of thermalization counterintuitive. With the rapid experimental progress in the control and probing of ultracold quantum gases this question has become within reach of detailed experimental investigations. In these notes we present a series of experiments with ultracold one-dimensional Bose gases, which provide novel insights into this fundamental question.
