Localized collapse and revival of coherence in an ultracold Bose gas

Abstract

We study the collapse and revival of coherence induced by dipolar spin waves in a trapped gas of Rb-87 atoms. In particular we observe spatially localized collapse and revival of Ramsey fringe contrast and show how the pattern of coherence depends on strength of the spin wave excitation. We find that the spatial character of the coherence dynamics is incompatible with a simple model based only on position-space overlap of wave functions. This phenomenon requires a full phase-space description of the atomic spin using a quantum Boltzmann transport equation, which highlights spin wave-induced coherent spin currents and the ensuing dynamics they drive.