Direct nondestructive imaging of magnetization in a spin-1 Bose-Einstein gas.
Polarization-dependent phase-contrast imaging is used to resolve the spatial magnetization profile of an optically trapped ultracold gas. This probe is applied to Larmor precession of degenerate and nondegenerate spin-1 87Rb gases. Transverse magnetization of the Bose-Einstein condensate persists for the condensate lifetime, with a spatial response to magnetic field inhomogeneities consistent with a mean-field model of interactions. In comparison, the magnetization of the non-condensed gas decoheres rapidly. Rotational symmetry implies that the Larmor frequency of a spinor condensate be density independent, and thus suitable for precise magnetometry with high spatial resolution.
Higbie
J M
JM
Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
Sadler
L E
LE
Inouye
S
S
Chikkatur
A P
AP
Leslie
S R
SR
Moore
K L
KL
Savalli
V
V
Stamper-Kurn
D M
DM