arXiv:0805.1817 · Physical Review A

Atom-chip diffraction of Bose-Einstein condensates: The role of interatomic interactions

T. E. Judd, R. G. Scott, T. M. Fromhold

Published Nov 17, 2008• 14 citations

Abstract

We use supercomputer simulations to show that interatomic interactions can strongly affect the phase evolution of Bose-Einstein condensates that are diffracted from atom chips, thereby explaining recent experiments. Interactions broaden and depopulate noncentral diffraction orders and so, counterintuitively, they actually reduce the spatial width of the diffracted cloud. This means that the experiments cannot be fully described by noninteracting theories and, consequently, interferometers that use many interacting atoms to enhance sensitivity require complex calibration. We identify device geometries required to approximate noninteracting behavior.

DOI: 10.1103/physreva.78.053623

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