Effect of light assisted collisions on matter wave coherence in superradiant Bose-Einstein condensates

We investigate experimentally the effects of light assisted collisions on the coherence between momentum states in Bose-Einstein condensates. The onset of superradiant Rayleigh scattering serves as a sensitive monitor for matter-wave coherence. A subtle interplay of binary and collective effects lea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2012-03, Vol.108 (9), p.090401-090401, Article 090401
Main Authors: Kampel, N S, Griesmaier, A, Hornbak Steenstrup, M P, Kaminski, F, Polzik, E S, Müller, J H
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:We investigate experimentally the effects of light assisted collisions on the coherence between momentum states in Bose-Einstein condensates. The onset of superradiant Rayleigh scattering serves as a sensitive monitor for matter-wave coherence. A subtle interplay of binary and collective effects leads to a profound asymmetry between the two sides of the atomic resonance and provides far bigger coherence loss rates for a condensate bathed in blue detuned light than previously estimated. We present a simplified quantitative model containing the essential physics to explain our experimental data and point at a new experimental route to study strongly coupled light matter systems.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.090401