Quasi-condensate growth on an atom chip

TL;DR

This paper models the dynamics of quasi-condensate growth in a one-dimensional ultracold Bose gas on an atom chip, focusing on the effects of a deep dimple trap and initial conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed model of quasi-condensate formation dynamics considering a dimple trap and initial thermal conditions in a 1D Bose gas.

Findings

Shock-wave propagation observed in the quasi-condensate

Growth dynamics depend on initial conditions and potential shape

Model provides insights into quasi-condensate formation processes

Abstract

We discuss and model an experiment to study quasi-condensate growth on an atom chip. In particular, we consider the addition of a deep dimple to the weak harmonic trap confining an ultracold one-dimensional atomic Bose gas, below or close to the characteristic temperature for quasi-condensate formation. The subsequent dynamics depends critically on both the initial conditions, and the form of the perturbing potential. In general, the dynamics features a combination of shock-wave propagation in the quasi-condensate, and quasi-condensate growth from the surrounding thermal cloud.