| Author(s): |
Edward W. Hagley; Lu Deng; M M. Kozuma; M Trippenbach; Y B. Band; M Edwards; M R. Doery; Paul S. Julienne; Kristian Helmerson; S L. Rolston; William D. Phillips; |
| Title: |
Measurement of the Coherence of a Bose-Einstein Condensate |
| Published: |
October 01, 1999 |
| Abstract: |
We study the coherence properties of a Bose-Einstein condensates using an interference technique. Two 100 ns optical standing wave pulses are applied to a condensate with a variable time delay between them. Each standing wave phase grating makes small copies of the condensate displaced in a momentum space. The quantum mechanical amplitudes of each copy interfere, depending on {Δ}t and on spatial phase variations across the condensate. We find that the behavior of a trapped BEC is consistent with a uniform spatial phase whereas a released BEC exhibits large phase variations across the condensate. |
| Citation: |
Physical Review Letters |
| Volume: |
83 |
| Issue: |
No. 16 |
| Keywords: |
Bose-Einstein condensation;coherence length;diffraction;spatial coherence |
| Research Areas: |
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