Hannover 2013 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 35: Poster I

Q 35.68: Poster

Tuesday, March 19, 2013, 16:00–18:30, Empore Lichthof

Tidal Corrections for Free Falling Relativistic Bose-Einstein Condensates — •Oliver Gabel and Reinhold Walser — Institut für Angewandte Physik, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Hochschulstr. 4a, 64289 Darmstadt

On Earth, the release of trapped Bose-Einstein condensates is usually an auxiliary tool for exploring the properties of matter waves. However, in the QUANTUS experiment [1] the exploration of free-fall physics in microgravity and the Einstein equivalence principle are at the centre of attention.

In a recent article [2], we have formulated a relativistic mean field theory for Bose-Einstein condensates in a given background metric. In this contribution we explore the dominant corrections of the field equation in the non-relativistic limit, i. e., the local tidal corrections, which constitute additional harmonic potentials around the centre of mass [3]. In particular, we evaluate the magnitude of the interferometric phase shift originating from this tidal potential.

[1] T. van Zoest et. Al., Bose-Einstein Condensation in Microgravity, Science, 328, 1540 (2010).

[2] O. Gabel, and R. Walser, Relativistic corrections to free falling Bose-Einstein condensates in micro-gravity, submitted (2013)

[3] G. Nandi, R. Walser, E. Kajari, and W. P. Schleich, Dropping cold quantum gases on Earth over long times and large distances, Phys. Rev. A 76, 63617 (2007).