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Physics Today

Bose Condensates Produce Coherent Nonlinear Behavior

Gloria B. Lubkin

Published Sep 1, 1999• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Because the atoms in a gaseous Bose condensate have nearly the same single-particle wavefunction, they can serve as sources of coherent atomic beams, or atom lasers. In analogy to an optical laser, the gain mechanism in the formation of a condensate of ultracold atoms is bosonic stimulation. (Bosonic stimulation occurs when N bosons are in a given state, and the transition rate into that state is proportional to N+1, so that the number of particles in that state is enhanced.)

DOI
10.1063/1.882806

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Because the atoms in a gaseous Bose condensate have nearly the same single-particle wavefunction, they can serve as sources of coherent atomic beams, or atom lasers. In analogy to an optical laser, the gain mechanism in the formation of a condensate of ultracold atoms is bosonic stimulation. (Bosonic stimulation occurs when N bosons are in a given state, and the transition rate into that state is proportional to N+1, so that the number of particles in that state is enhanced.)
Superconductivity, superfluidity, Bose-Einstein condensation, and laser amplification are all examples of a general mechanism involving the stimulated transfer of bosons into a specific quantum state. When the occupation number of the state is large, this mechanism may generate a macroscopic coherence for the state amplitude. In this paper, we demonstrate that the stimulated transfer of bosonic atoms into a given state of an optical or a magnetic trap can give rise to a coherent atomic source in analogy with the photon laser and we present a general model for such a device.
The transition of atoms from the disorder of the gaseous phase into the “disciplined” behavior of the condensate can be compared with the transformation of chaotic incoherent light into a laser light beam. This analogy leads directly to the definition of the atom laser: a device that produces a beam of boson atoms that have “escaped” from a trapped Bose–Einstein condensate. The operation of our well-known optical laser requires essentially three things: an optical cavity, an active medium, and a mechanism that allows light to escape from the cavity. Within the cavity, a huge number of atoms of the active medium interact with photons. The cavity consists essentially of two mirrors with very high reflectivity onto which the photons are reflected many times. Multiple reflections cause photons to interact continuously with atoms in the cavity, leading to a continuous generation of new photons by stimulated emission. The result is an increase in the number of photons, i.e., amplification of the beam traveling within the cavity. All of the photons have the same frequency and phase (i.e., they oscillate synchronously). Since one of the mirrors is not perfectly reflective, the photons manage to escape from the cavity, resulting in the well-known, monochromatic, and directional laser beam.
The formation of a Bose-Einstein condensate of a dilute atomic gas has been studied in situ with a nondestructive, time-resolved imaging technique. Sodium atoms were evaporatively cooled close to the onset of Bose-Einstein condensation and then suddenly quenched to below the transition temperature. The subsequent equilibration and condensate formation showed a slow onset distinctly different from simple relaxation. This behavior provided evidence for the process of bosonic stimulation, or coherent matter-wave amplification, crucial to the concept of an atom laser.
An analysis is made of the condition for stimulated precipitation of Bose particles to form a coherent Bose condensate. Experimental observations of the interference of Bose condensates are described. A system of equations is proposed for the dynamics of a generator of coherent atomic beams, i.e. an 'atom laser'. This system of equations takes account of the interaction of a Bose condensate with incoherent particle subsystems. A description is given of experimental observations of stimulated amplification of an exciton bunch. The possibility of generation of a coherent state of excitons by direct binding of free carriers in semiconductors and insulators is considered.