Coherent collapse of a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate for different trap geometries

TL;DR

This paper experimentally studies the collapse dynamics of dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates in various trap geometries, comparing results with simulations and examining phase coherence after collapse.

Contribution

It provides new insights into how trap geometry affects collapse behavior and phase coherence in dipolar BECs, supported by experimental and simulation data.

Findings

Collapse dynamics vary with trap geometry

Phase coherence can be probed post-collapse

Simulations agree with experimental observations

Abstract

We experimentally investigate the collapse dynamics of dipolar Bose- Einstein condensates of chromium atoms in different harmonic trap geometries, from prolate to oblate. The evolutions of the condensates in the unstable regime are compared to three-dimensional simulations of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation including three-body losses. In order to probe the phase coherence of collapsed condensates, we induce the collapse in several condensates simultaneously and let them interfere.