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arXiv · 2511.08510

Microscopy of cavity-induced density-wave ordering in ultracold gases

Tabea Bühler·Aurélien Fabre·Gaia Bolognini·Zeyang Xue·Timo Zwettler·Giulia Del Pace·Jean-Philippe Brantut
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Abstract

We demonstrate high-resolution in-situ imaging of density-wave ordering induced by cavity-mediated interactions in a unitary Fermi gas. We observe long-range spatial correlations throughout the formation of density waves, both for adiabatic preparation and following a quench, with a pattern controlled by the cavity mode structure. Our single-shot microscopic images together with the real-time readout of the cavity photons provide access to atom-photon correlations. We use this capability to investigate order fluctuations as a function of time following a quench and to directly confirm the correspondence between optical and atomic observables. Our system opens rich perspectives, from local patterning to correlation measurements in long-range interacting quantum gases.

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Tabea Bühler, Aurélien Fabre, Gaia Bolognini, Zeyang Xue, Timo Zwettler, Giulia Del Pace, Jean-Philippe Brantut. 2026-06-28. Microscopy of cavity-induced density-wave ordering in ultracold gases. https://doi.org/10.1103/h3zm-rnnx

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