Suppressing the Kibble-Zurek Mechanism by a Symmetry-Violating Bias

The formation of topological defects in continuous phase transitions is driven by the Kibble-Zurek mechanism. Here we study the formation of single- and half-quantum vortices during transition to the polar phase of ³He in the presence of a symmetry-breaking bias provided by the applied magnetic field. We find that vortex formation is suppressed exponentially when the length scale associated with the bias field becomes smaller than the Kibble-Zurek length. We thus demonstrate an experimentally feasible shortcut to adiabaticity—an important aspect for further understanding of phase transitions as well as for engineering applications such as quantum computers or simulators.