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Observation of interference between two molecular Bose–Einstein condensates

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Published 28 June 2011 Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd
, , Citation C Kohstall et al 2011 New J. Phys. 13 065027DOI 10.1088/1367-2630/13/6/065027

1367-2630/13/6/065027

Abstract

We have observed the interference between two Bose–Einstein condensates of weakly bound Feshbach molecules of fermionic 6Li atoms. Two condensates are prepared in a double-well trap and, after release from this trap, overlap in expansion. We detect a clear interference pattern that unambiguously demonstrates the de Broglie wavelength of molecules. We verify that only the condensate fraction shows interference. With increasing interaction strength, the pattern vanishes because elastic collisions during overlap remove particles from the condensate wave function. For strong interaction, the condensates do not penetrate each other as they collide hydrodynamically.

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10.1088/1367-2630/13/6/065027
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