A combined gravitomagnetic trap was used to measure how the anharmonicity of a trapping potential affects the dynamics of a cold atomic cloud. A displacement of the effective potential minimum as a function of the ensemble temperature was observed. The effect is a direct consequence of the thermal nature of the atomic sample. The results of both a theory approach to the dynamical evolution of the atomic cloud and a numerical simulation are in very good agreement with the experimental observations. The effect can be exploited to devise a novel measurement technique for the temperature of a trapped atomic cloud, as well as to separate thermal and condensed phases in Bose-Einstein condensation experiments.
Titolo: | Dynamics of a cold atom cloud in an anharmonic trap | |
Autori: | Bertoldi, Anita; Ricci, Leonardo | |
Autori Unitn: | ||
Titolo del periodico: | PHYSICAL REVIEW A | |
Anno di pubblicazione: | 2010 | |
Numero e parte del fascicolo: | 6 | |
Codice identificativo Scopus: | 2-s2.0-77953716976 | |
Codice identificativo WOS: | WOS:000278874200001 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): | http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.81.063415 | |
Handle: | http://hdl.handle.net/11572/84091 | |
Appare nelle tipologie: | 03.1 Articolo su rivista (Journal article) |