Interference of a variable number of coherent atomic sources
Abstract
We have studied the interference of a variable number of independently created mF=0 microcondensates in a CO2-laser optical lattice. The observed average interference contrast decreases with condensate number N. Our experimental results agree well with the predictions of a random walk model. While the exact result can be given in terms of Kluyver's formula, for a large number of sources a 1/N scaling of the average fringe contrast is obtained. This scaling law is found to be of more general applicability when quantifying the decay of coherence of an ensemble with N independently phased sources.
Turn this paper into a full lesson
ArcXiv compiles a staged curriculum from this paper: 8-12 lessons across beginner → advanced, synthesised section guides, visuals, flashcards, a quiz, exercises, and on-demand deep dives per section. Grounded in the abstract, never invented.