A superheated Bose-condensed gas

Nature Physics Springer Nature 9:5 (2013) 271-274

Authors:

Alexander L Gaunt, Richard J Fletcher, Robert P Smith, Zoran Hadzibabic

Bose-Einstein condensation of atoms in a uniform potential.

Physical review letters 110:20 (2013) 200406

Authors:

Alexander L Gaunt, Tobias F Schmidutz, Igor Gotlibovych, Robert P Smith, Zoran Hadzibabic

Abstract:

We have observed the Bose-Einstein condensation of an atomic gas in the (quasi)uniform three-dimensional potential of an optical box trap. Condensation is seen in the bimodal momentum distribution and the anisotropic time-of-flight expansion of the condensate. The critical temperature agrees with the theoretical prediction for a uniform Bose gas. The momentum distribution of a noncondensed quantum-degenerate gas is also clearly distinct from the conventional case of a harmonically trapped sample and close to the expected distribution in a uniform system. We confirm the coherence of our condensate in a matter-wave interference experiment. Our experiments open many new possibilities for fundamental studies of many-body physics.

Effects of Interactions on Bose-Einstein Condensation of an Atomic Gas

Chapter in Physics of Quantum Fluids, Springer Berlin Heidelberg (2013) 341-359

Authors:

Robert P Smith, Zoran Hadzibabic

A compact single-chamber apparatus for Bose-Einstein condensation of $^87$Rb

arXiv (2012)

Authors:

Igor Gotlibovych, Tobias F Schmidutz, Stuart Moulder, Robert LD Campbell, Naaman Tammuz, Richard J Fletcher, Alexander L Gaunt, Scott Beattie, Robert P Smith, Zoran Hadzibabic

Abstract:

We describe a simple and compact single-chamber apparatus for robust production of $^87$Rb Bose-Einstein condensates. The apparatus is built from off-the-shelf components and allows production of quasi-pure condensates of > $3\times 10^5$ atoms in < 30 s. This is achieved using a hybrid trap created by a quadrupole magnetic field and a single red-detuned laser beam [Y.-J. Lin et al., Phys. Rev. A 79, 063631 (2009)]. In the same apparatus we also achieve condensation in an optically plugged quadrupole trap [K. B. Davis et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 3969 (1995)] and show that as little as 70 mW of plug-laser power is sufficient for condensation, making it viable to pursue this approach using inexpensive diode lasers. While very compact, our apparatus features sufficient optical access for complex experiments, and we have recently used it to demonstrate condensation in a uniform optical-box potential [A. Gaunt et al., arXiv:1212.4453 (2012)].

Quantum Criticality and Unconventional Order in Magnetic and Dielectric Material

Journal of Physics Conference Series IOP Publishing 400:3 (2012) 032048

Authors:

SE Rowley, R Smith, ML Sutherland, P Alireza, SS Saxena, GG Lonzarich