English

Direct, Non-Destructive Imaging of Magnetization in a Spin-1 Bose Gas

Other Condensed Matter 2009-11-11 v1

Abstract

Polarization-dependent phase-contrast imaging is used to spatially resolve the magnetization of an optically trapped ultracold gas. This probe is applied to Larmor precession of degenerate and nondegenerate spin-1 87^{87}Rb 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. Rotational symmetry implies that the Larmor frequency of a spinor condensate be density-independent, and thus suitable for precise magnetometry with high spatial resolution. In comparison, the magnetization of the noncondensed gas decoheres rapidly.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0502517,
  title  = {Direct, Non-Destructive Imaging of Magnetization in a Spin-1 Bose Gas},
  author = {J. M. Higbie and L. E. Sadler and S. Inouye and A. P. Chikkatur and S. R. Leslie and K. L. Moore and V. Savalli and D. M. Stamper-Kurn},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0502517},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

4 pages, 4 figures