Continuous Bose-Einstein condensation.

Autor: Chen CC; Van der Waals-Zeeman Institute, Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands., González Escudero R; Van der Waals-Zeeman Institute, Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands., Minář J; Institute for Theoretical Physics, Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.; QuSoft, Amsterdam, the Netherlands., Pasquiou B; Van der Waals-Zeeman Institute, Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.; QuSoft, Amsterdam, the Netherlands., Bennetts S; Van der Waals-Zeeman Institute, Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.; QuSoft, Amsterdam, the Netherlands., Schreck F; Van der Waals-Zeeman Institute, Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. ContinuousBEC@strontiumBEC.com.; QuSoft, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. ContinuousBEC@strontiumBEC.com.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Nature [Nature] 2022 Jun; Vol. 606 (7915), pp. 683-687. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Jun 08.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04731-z
Abstrakt: Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) are macroscopic coherent matter waves that have revolutionized quantum science and atomic physics. They are important to quantum simulation 1 and sensing 2,3 , for example, underlying atom interferometers in space 4 and ambitious tests of Einstein's equivalence principle 5,6 . A long-standing constraint for quantum gas devices has been the need to execute cooling stages time-sequentially, restricting these devices to pulsed operation. Here we demonstrate continuous Bose-Einstein condensation by creating a continuous-wave (CW) condensate of strontium atoms that lasts indefinitely. The coherent matter wave is sustained by amplification through Bose-stimulated gain of atoms from a thermal bath. By steadily replenishing this bath while achieving 1,000 times higher phase-space densities than previous works 7,8 , we maintain the conditions for condensation. Our experiment is the matter wave analogue of a CW optical laser with fully reflective cavity mirrors. This proof-of-principle demonstration provides a new, hitherto missing piece of atom optics, enabling the construction of continuous coherent-matter-wave devices.
(© 2022. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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