Isabelle Bouchoule

Role of wire imperfections in micromagnetic traps for atoms

We present a quantitative study of roughness in the magnitude of the magnetic field produced by a current carrying microwire, i.e., in the trapping potential for paramagnetic atoms. We show that this potential roughness arises from deviations in the wire current flow due to geometric fluctuations of the edges of the wire: a measurement of the potential using cold trapped atoms agrees with the potential computed from the measurement of the wire edge roughness by a scanning electron microscope.

Probing Three-Body Correlations in a Quantum Gas Using the Measurement of the Third Moment of Density Fluctuations

We perform measurements of the third moment of atom number fluctuations in small slices of a very elongated weakly interacting degenerate Bose gas. We find a positive skewness of the atom number distribution in the ideal gas regime and a reduced skewness compatible with zero in the quasicondensate regime. For our parameters, the third moment is a thermodynamic quantity whose measurement constitutes a sensitive test of the equation of state, and our results are in agreement with a modified Yang-Yang thermodynamic prediction. Moreover, we show that the measured skewness reveals the presence of true three-body correlations in the system.

Relative phase fluctuations of two coupled one-dimensional condensates

We study the relative phase fluctuations of two one-dimensional condensates coupled along their whole extension with a local single-atom interaction. The thermal equilibrium is defined by the competition between independent longitudinal thermally excited phase fluctuations and the coupling between the condensates which locally favors identical phase. We compute the relative phase fluctuations and their correlation length as a function of the temperature and the strength of the coupling.

Quench-induced breathing mode of one-dimensional Bose gases.

We measure the position- and momentum-space breathing dynamics of trapped one-dimensional Bose gases at finite temperature. The profile in real space reveals sinusoidal width oscillations whose frequency varies continuously through the quasicondensate to ideal Bose gas crossover. A comparison with theoretical models taking temperature into account is provided. In momentum space, we report the first observation of a frequency doubling in the quasicondensate regime, corresponding to a self-reflection mechanism due to the repulsive interactions. Such a mechanism is predicted for a fermionized system, and has not been observed to date. The disappearance of the frequency doubling through the crossover is mapped out experimentally, giving insights into the dynamics of the breathing evolution.

Realizing a stable magnetic double-well potential on an atom chip

Abstract.We discuss design considerations and the realization of a magnetic double-well potential on an atom chip using current-carrying wires. Stability requirements for the trapping potential lead to a typical size of order microns for such a device. We also present experiments using the device to manipulate cold, trapped atoms.

Interaction-induced Crossover Versus Finite-size Condensation In A Weakly Interacting Trapped One-dimensional Bose Gas

We discuss the transition from a fully decoherent to a (quasi)condensate regime in a harmonically trapped weakly interacting one-dimensional (1D) Bose gas. By using analytic approaches and verifying them against exact numerical solutions, we find a characteristic crossover temperature and crossover atom number that depend on the interaction strength and the trap frequency. We then identify the conditions for observing either an interaction-induced crossover scenario or else a finite-size Bose-Einstein condensation phenomenon characteristic of an ideal trapped 1D gas.

Preparation of spin squeezed atomic states by optical phase shift measurement

In this paper we present a state vector analysis of the generation of atomic spin squeezing by the measurement of an optical phase shift. The frequency resolution is improved when a spin squeezed sample is used for spectroscopy in place of an uncorrelated sample. When light is transmitted through an atomic sample some photons will be scattered out of the incident beam, and this has a destructive effect on the squeezing. We present quantitative studies for three limiting cases: the case of a sample of atoms of size smaller than the optical wavelength, the case of a large dilute sample, and the case of a large dense sample.

Experimental evidence for the breakdown of a Hartree-Fock approach in a weakly interacting Bose gas

We investigate the physics underlying the presence of a quasicondensate in a nearly one dimensional, weakly interacting trapped atomic Bose gas. We show that a Hartree-Fock (mean-field) approach fails to predict the existence of the quasicondensate in the center of the cloud: the quasicondensate is generated by interaction-induced correlations between atoms and not by a saturation of the excited states. Numerical calculations based on Bogoliubov theory give an estimate of the crossover density in agreement with experimental results.

Symmetric microwave potentials for interferometry with thermal atoms on a chip

A trapped atom interferometer involving state-selective adiabatic potentials with two microwave frequencies on a chip is proposed. We show that this configuration provides a way to achieve a high degree of symmetry between the two arms of the interferometer, which is necessary for coherent splitting and recombination of thermal (i.e., noncondensed) atoms. The resulting interferometer holds promise to achieve high contrast and long coherence time, while avoiding the mean-field interaction issues of interferometers based on trapped Bose-Einstein condensates.

Modulational instabilities in Josephson oscillations of elongated coupled condensates

Abstract.We study the Josephson oscillations of two coupled elongated condensates. Linearized calculations show that the oscillating mode uniform over the length of the condensates (uniform Josephson mode) is unstable: modes of non zero longitudinal momentum grow exponentially. In the limit of strong atom interactions, we give scaling laws for the instability time constant and unstable wave vectors. Beyond the linearized approach, numerical calculations show a damped recurrence behavior: the energy in the Josephson mode presents damped oscillations. Finally, we derive conditions on the confinement of the condensates to prevent instabilities.