2005/02/21 by J. M. Higbie, James Higbie, L. E. Sadler +10 · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Quantum, superfluid, helium dynamics #cond-mat.other
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.95.050401
4 pages, 4 figures
arxiv created 2005/02/21 · openalex publication_date 2005/07/26 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Polarization-dependent phase-contrast imaging is used to resolve the spatial magnetization profile of an optically trapped ultracold gas. This probe is applied to Larmor precession of degenerate and nondegenerate spin-1 87Rb gases. Transverse magnetization of the Bose-Einstein condensate persists for the condensate lifetime, with a spatial response to magnetic field inhomogeneities consistent with a mean-field model of interactions. In comparison, the magnetization of the non-condensed gas decoheres rapidly. Rotational symmetry implies that the Larmor frequency of a spinor condensate be density independent, and thus suitable for precise magnetometry with high spatial resolution.