Imaging the phase of an evolving Bose-Einstein condensate wave function

Abstract

The Bose-Einstein condensate wave function was examined by spatially-resolved autocorrelation measurement. Its spatial profile evolution in the quantum mechanical phase was also examined using an autocorrelating matter-wave interferometer. The phase developed upon the release of the condensate from the magnetic trap was found to be quadratic in the spatial coordinate. The effects of repulsive interaction between two overlapping condensate wave packets are discussed.