  Large scale structures in the Universe, ranging from globular clusters to
entire galaxies, are the manifestation of relaxation to out-of-equilibrium
states that are not described by standard statistical mechanics at equilibrium.
Instead, they are formed through a process of a very different nature, i.e.
violent relaxation. However, astrophysical time-scales are so large that it is
not possible to directly observe these relaxation dynamics and therefore verify
the details of the violent relaxation process. We develop a table-top
experiment and model that allows us to directly observe effects such as mixing
of phase space, and violent relaxation, leading to the formation of a table-top
analogue of a galaxy. The experiment allows us to control a range of
parameters, including the nonlocal (gravitational) interaction strength and
quantum effects, thus providing an effective test-bed for gravitational models
that cannot otherwise be directly studied in experimental settings.
