We report the realization of Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) in dilute rubidium gas. The BEC was achieved in a quadrupole and Ioffe configuration trap. The number of condensed atoms is around 4 × 10 4 in total 5 × 10 5 , and the transition temperature is 250 nK. We have studied the light scattering of the atom cloud and the condensate in a tightly confined magnetic trap. We show that it is possible to use the diffraction patterns in the near-resonant imaging of the trapped cold atomic samples to give the information of the BEC phase transition.
We report the realization of Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) in dilute rubidium gas. The BEC was achieved in a quadrupole and Ioffe configuration trap. The number of condensed atoms is around 4 X 10(4) in total 5 X 10(5), and the transition, temperature is 250 nK. We have studied the light scattering of the atom cloud and the condensate in a tightly confined magnetic trap. We show that it is possible to use the diffraction patterns in the near-resonant imaging of the trapped cold atomic samples to give the information of the BEC phase transition.
The spectrum of light scattered from a Bose–Einstein condensate is studied in the limit of particle-number conservation. To this end, a description in terms of deformed bosons is invoked and this leads to a deviation from the usual predict spectrum’s shape as soon as the number of particles decreases. PACS number(s): 03.65.Fd (Algebraic methods), 03.75.Fi (Bose condensation), 42.50.Ct (Quantum statistical description of interaction of light and matter) 1 The recent achievements of Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) with a gas of atoms confined by a magnetic trap [1] has stimulated renewed interest in the question as to what signatures Bose–Einstein condensation imprints in the spectrum of light scattered from atoms in such a condensate [2, 3]. As well known, to deal with the dynamics of BEC gas the Bogolubov approximation in quantum many-body theory [4] is an efficient approach, in which the creation
Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) in ultra-cold magnetically-trapped
sp7Li vapor was experimentally observed and quantitative measurements of condensate number were made. Compared to other BEC experiments, lithium is unique due to its negative s-wave scattering length, corresponding to effectively attractive interactions. Due to this attraction, condensates are expected to undergo mechanical collapse if the condensate number exceeds a critical value. In this experiment, an upper limit of about 1000 condensate atoms is found, in agreement with theoretical predictions.\nIn the experiment, the atoms are confined by a set of six permanent magnets in the Ioffe configuration. Optical forces are used to slow and guide atoms from a thermal atomic beam into the magnetic trap. With about
10sp8 atoms loaded into the trap, the vapor is laser-cooled to near 200
muK and then evaporatively cooled by application of a resonantly-tuned microwave field. Evaporative cooling produces a million-fold increase in phase-space density, reaching quantum-degenerate conditions with about 10
sp5 atoms at temperatures near 300
muK. After cooling, the trapped atom distribution is observed by in situ imaging via an optical probe. Calculated atom distributions are fit to the image data.\nIn initial data, the imaging resolution was insufficient to see the spatially-narrow condensate peak, but as phase-space densities approached the expected phase transition, the images suddenly became distorted. Initial fits to the data suggested as many as 10
sp5 condensate atoms, in strong disagreement with theoretical predictions. An imaging model, accounting for imperfections in the imaging optics, shows that the sudden appearance of the distortions is a consequence of BEC, and that these distortions led to the initial over-estimation of cloud phase-space density and condensate number.\nImproved imaging was obtained using large probe detunings, a Phase-Contrast Polarization Imaging (PCPI) technique, and near-diffraction-limited imaging optics. The PCPI method exploits the birefringence of the trapped atoms. From the resulting images, quantitative estimates of condensate number are obtained and compared with theory.