Formation of BECs, quasi-condensates, and atom laser dynamicsOne of the most exciting aspects of the achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases is the prospect of the development of the atom laser. A continuously pumped atom laser could be an extremely valuable tool for precision measurement, as well as for many as yet unforeseen applications. This is one of the milestones for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Atom Optics.Much of my previous research has been in the area of condensate growth, which used a quantum Boltzmann equation approach to the dynamics of BEC formation. This theory has been subjected to two comparisons with experiment, which have been somewhat successful but not entirely so. There certainly remain questions to be answered, both experimentally and theoretically. One project is to further extend the theory of condensate growth to include the dynamics of the condensate mode. Previous treatments have assumed that the shape of the condensate changes adiabatically, and this may not always be the case. This would be a suitable application of the stochastic Gross-Pitaevskii equation. As well as the growth in the number of atoms in the condensate, the effect of trap geometry on formation is important. Long, thin systems are predicted to form 'quasi-condensates' before true BEC sets in, and there has been recent experimental evidence for this. A final project in this area is with Joe Hope at the Australian National University. We are attempting to pin down some real numbers for what is needed for a cw-pumped atoms laser. |
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