Dressed States of a two component Bose-Einstein Condensate

A condensate with two internal states coupled by external electromagnetic radiation, is described by coupled Gross Pitaevskii equations, whose eigenstates are analogous to the dressed states of quantum optics. We solve for these eigenstates numerically in the case of one spatial dimension, and explore their properties as a function of system parameters. In contrast to the quantum optical case, the condensate dressed states exhibit spatial behaviour which depends on the system parameters, and can be manipulated by changing the cw external field.Comment: 6 pages, including 6 figures. This paper was presented at ACOLS98, and is submitted to a special issue of J. Opt.

Recent Experiments with Bose-Condensed Gases at JILA

We consider a binary mixture of two overlapping Bose-Einstein condensates in two different hyperfine states of \Rb87 with nearly identical magnetic moments. Such a system has been simply realized through application of radiofrequency and microwave radiation which drives a two-photon transition between the two states. The nearly identical magnetic moments afford a high degree of spatial overlap, permitting a variety of new experiments. We discuss some of the conditions under which the magnetic moments are identical, with particular emphasis placed on the requirements for a time-averaged orbiting potential (TOP) magnetic trap.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures; corrected post-publication editio

Momentum distribution of confined bosons: temperature dependence

The momentum distribution function of a parabolically confined gas of bosons with harmonic interparticle interactions is derived. In the Bose-Einstein condensation region, this momentum distribution substantially deviates from a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. It is argued that the determination of the temperature of the boson gas from the Bose-Einstein momentum distribution function is more appropriate than the currently used fitting to the high momentum tail of the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution.Comment: 5 REVTEX pages + 2 postscript figures. Accepted in Phys. Rev.

Bose-Einstein condensation in a stiff TOP trap with adjustable geometry

We report on the realisation of a stiff magnetic trap with independently adjustable trap frequencies, $\omega_z$ and $\omega_r$, in the axial and radial directions respectively. This has been achieved by applying an axial modulation to a Time-averaged Orbiting Potential (TOP) trap. The frequency ratio of the trap, $\omega_z / \omega_r$, can be decreased continuously from the original TOP trap value of 2.83 down to 1.6. We have transferred a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) into this trap and obtained very good agreement between its observed anisotropic expansion and the hydrodynamic predictions. Our method can be extended to obtain a spherical trapping potential, which has a geometry of particular theoretical interest.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Bose-Einstein condensation in shallow traps

In this paper we study the properties of Bose-Einstein condensates in shallow traps. We discuss the case of a Gaussian potential, but many of our results apply also to the traps having a small quadratic anharmonicity. We show the errors introduced when a Gaussian potential is approximated with a parabolic potential, these errors can be quite large for realistic optical trap parameter values. We study the behavior of the condensate fraction as a function of trap depth and temperature and calculate the chemical potential of the condensate in a Gaussian trap. Finally we calculate the frequencies of the collective excitations in shallow spherically symmetric and 1D traps.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Quantum Dynamics of Three Coupled Atomic Bose-Einstein Condensates

The simplest model of three coupled Bose-Einstein Condensates (BEC) is investigated using a group theoretical method. The stationary solutions are determined using the SU(3) group under the mean field approximation. This semiclassical analysis using the system symmetries shows a transition in the dynamics of the system from self trapping to delocalization at a critical value for the coupling between the condensates. The global dynamics are investigated by examination of the stable points and our analysis shows the structure of the stable points depends on the ratio of the condensate coupling to the particle-particle interaction, undergoes bifurcations as this ratio is varied. This semiclassical model is compared to a full quantum treatment, which also displays the dynamical transition. The quantum case has collapse and revival sequences superposed on the semiclassical dynamics reflecting the underlying discreteness of the spectrum. Non-zero circular current states are also demonstrated as one of the higher dimensional effects displayed in this system.Comment: Accepted to PR

Dynamical response of a Bose-Einstein condensate to a discontinuous change in internal state

A two-photon transition is used to convert an arbitrary fraction of the 87Rb atoms in a |F=1,m_f=-1> condensate to the |F=2,m_f=1> state. Transferring the entire population imposes a discontinuous change on the condensate's mean-field repulsion, which leaves a residual ringing in the condensate width. A calculation based on Gross-Pitaevskii theory agrees well with the observed behavior, and from the comparison we obtain the ratio of the intraspecies scattering lengths for the two states, a_|1,-1> / a_|2,1> = 1.062(12).Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Quantum state of two trapped Bose-Einstein condensates with a Josephson coupling

We consider the precise quantum state of two trapped, coupled Bose Einstein condensates in the two-mode approximation. We seek a representation of the state in terms of a Wigner-like distribution on the two-mode Bloch sphere. The problem is solved using a self-consistent rotation of the unknown state to the south pole of the sphere. The two-mode Hamiltonian is projected onto the harmonic oscillator phase plane, where it can be solved by standard techniques. Our results show how the number of atoms in each trap and the squeezing in the number difference depend on the physical parameters. Considering negative scattering lengths, we show that there is a regime of squeezing in the relative phase of the condensates which occurs for weaker interactions than the superposition states found by Cirac et al% (quant-ph/9706034, 13 June 1997). The phase squeezing is also apparent in mildly asymmetric trap configurations.Comment: 26 pages, 11 figure

The Energy of a Trapped Interacting Bose Gas

A Bose gas in an external potential is studied by means of the semi-classical approximation. Analytical results are derived for the energy of an interacting Bose gas in a generic power-law trapping potential. An expression for the chemical potential below the critical temperature is also obtained. The theoretical results are in qualitative agreement with a recent energy measurement.Comment: 6 pages, REVTex, one figure

Bose-Einstein condensation in a two-dimensional, trapped,interacting gas

We study Bose-Einstein condensation phenomenon in a two-dimensional (2D) system of bosons subjected to an harmonic oscillator type confining potential. The interaction among the 2D bosons is described by a delta-function in configuration space. Solving the Gross-Pitaevskii equation within the two-fluid model we calculate the condensate fraction, ground state energy, and specific heat of the system. Our results indicate that interacting bosons have similar behavior to those of an ideal system for weak interactions.Comment: LaTeX, 4 pages, 4 figures, uses grafik.sty (included), to be published in Phys. Rev. A, tentatively scheduled for 1 October 1998 (Volume 58, Number 4