Coherence effects in a finite temperature Bose-Einstein condensate
Heather Lewandowski,
NIST/JILA, University of Colorado
Abstract:
Understanding the effects created by the loss of coherence in
Bose-condensed systems is critical if condensates are to be used in
applications such as quantum information or precision measurement. In
quantum information systems, the loss of coherence limits the duration of
an experiment, and thus the complexity of the computation. The loss of
coherence will also limit the precision of spectroscopic measurements of
small energy shifts (e.g., caused by Casimir and hypothetical short-range
forces).
We investigate the relationship between the coherence of a partially
Bose-condensed spinor gas and its temperature. We observe cooling of the
normal component driven by decoherence as well the effect of temperature
on decoherence rates.