2020/04/30 by Yifan Li, Krzysztof Pawłowski, Boris Décamps +4 · 8 citations
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomical interferometer #Atom (system on chip) #Atom interferometer #Atomic physics #Bose–Einstein condensate #Coherence (philosophical gambling strategy) #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Hyperfine structure #Interferometry #Measure (data warehouse) #Phase (matter) #Physics #Quantum #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum decoherence #Quantum entanglement #Quantum mechanics #cond-mat.quant-gas #physics.atom-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.125.123402
published in Physical Review Letters 125(12), 123402 (American Physical Society)
openalex publication_date 2020/09/18 · arxiv created 2020/10/27 · arxiv updated 2020/10/29 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We experimentally and theoretically study phase coherence in two-component Bose-Einstein condensates of 87Rb atoms on an atom chip. Using Ramsey interferometry we determine the temporal decay of coherence between the |F=1,mF=-1⟩ and |F=2,mF=+1⟩ hyperfine ground states. We observe that the coherence is limited by random collisional phase shifts due to the stochastic nature of atom loss. The mechanism is confirmed quantitatively by a quantum trajectory method based on a master equation which takes into account collisional interactions, atom number fluctuations, and losses in the system. This decoherence process can be slowed down by reducing the density of the condensate. Our findings are relevant for experiments on quantum metrology and many-particle entanglement with Bose-Einstein condensates and the development of chip-based atomic clocks.