Localization of the relative phase via measurements

Abstract

When two independently-prepared Bose-Einstein condensates are released from their corresponding traps, the absorbtion image of the overlapping clouds presents an interference pattern. Here we analyze a model introduced by Javanainen and Yoo (J. Javanainen and S. M. Yoo, Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 161 (1996)), who considered two atomic condensates described by plane waves propagating in opposite directions. We present an analytical argument for the measurement-induced breaking of the relative phase symmetry in this system, demonstrating how the phase gets localized after a large enough number of detection events.