TY - JOUR
KW - Multidisciplinary
AU - Lee Liu
AU - Dina Rosenberg
AU - Bryan Changala
AU - Philip Crowley
AU - David Nesbitt
AU - Norman Yao
AU - Timur Tscherbul
AU - Jun Ye
AB - <jats:p> Ergodicity, the central tenet of statistical mechanics, requires an isolated system to explore all available phase space constrained by energy and symmetry. Mechanisms for violating ergodicity are of interest for probing nonequilibrium matter and protecting quantum coherence in complex systems. Polyatomic molecules have long served as a platform for probing ergodicity breaking in vibrational energy transport. Here, we report the observation of rotational ergodicity breaking in an unprecedentedly large molecule, <jats:sup>12</jats:sup> C <jats:sub>60</jats:sub> , determined from its icosahedral rovibrational fine structure. The ergodicity breaking occurs well below the vibrational ergodicity threshold and exhibits multiple transitions between ergodic and nonergodic regimes with increasing angular momentum. These peculiar dynamics result from the molecule’s distinctive combination of symmetry, size, and rigidity, highlighting its relevance to emergent phenomena in mesoscopic quantum systems. </jats:p>
BT - Science
DA - 2023-08
DO - 10.1126/science.adi6354
IS - 6659
N2 - <jats:p> Ergodicity, the central tenet of statistical mechanics, requires an isolated system to explore all available phase space constrained by energy and symmetry. Mechanisms for violating ergodicity are of interest for probing nonequilibrium matter and protecting quantum coherence in complex systems. Polyatomic molecules have long served as a platform for probing ergodicity breaking in vibrational energy transport. Here, we report the observation of rotational ergodicity breaking in an unprecedentedly large molecule, <jats:sup>12</jats:sup> C <jats:sub>60</jats:sub> , determined from its icosahedral rovibrational fine structure. The ergodicity breaking occurs well below the vibrational ergodicity threshold and exhibits multiple transitions between ergodic and nonergodic regimes with increasing angular momentum. These peculiar dynamics result from the molecule’s distinctive combination of symmetry, size, and rigidity, highlighting its relevance to emergent phenomena in mesoscopic quantum systems. </jats:p>
PB - American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
PY - 2023
SP - 778
EP - 783
T2 - Science
TI - Ergodicity breaking in rapidly rotating C60 fullerenes
VL - 381
SN - 0036-8075, 1095-9203
ER -