Pumping two dilute gas Bose-Einstein condensates with Raman light scattering

Abstract

We propose an optical method for increasing the number of atoms in a pair of dilute gas Bose-Einstein condensates. The method uses laser-driven Raman transitions which scatter atoms between the condensate and non-condensate atom fractions. For a range of condensate phase differences there is destructive quantum interference of the amplitudes for scattering atoms out of the condensates. Because the total atom scattering rate into the condensates is unaffected the condensates grow. This mechanism is analogous to that responsible for optical lasing without inversion. Growth using macroscopic quantum interference may find application as a pump for an atom laser.