Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 4, 2026

Direct Imaging of Laser-driven Ultrafast Molecular Rotation
Published on: February 4, 2017
Observation of phase fluctuations in elongated Bose-Einstein condensates
S Dettmer1, D Hellweg, P Ryytty
1Institut für Quantenoptik, Universität Hannover, Welfengarten 1, 30167 Hannover, Germany.
Abstract:
The occurrence of phase fluctuations due to thermal excitations in Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) is studied for a variety of temperatures and trap geometries. We observe the statistical nature of the appearance of phase fluctuations and characterize the dependence of their average value on temperature, number of particles, and the trapping potential. We find pronounced phase fluctuations for condensates in very elongated traps in a broad temperature range. The results are of great importance for the realization of BEC in quasi-1D geometries, for matter wave interferometry with BECs, as well as for coherence properties of guided atom laser beams.
Related Concept Videos
The de Broglie Wavelength
Phase Transitions
Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation
Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing
¹H NMR of Conformationally Flexible Molecules: Temporal Resolution
Phase Transitions

