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We propose experimentally feasible means for non-destructive thermometry of homogeneous Bose Einstein condensates in different spatial dimensions ($din{1,2,3}$). Our impurity based protocol suggests that the fundamental error bound on thermometry at the sub nano Kelvin domain depends highly on the dimension, in that the higher the dimension the better the precision. Furthermore, sub-optimal thermometry of the condensates by using measurements that are experimentally feasible is explored. We specifically focus on measuring position and momentum of the impurity that belong to the family of Gaussian measurements. We show that, generally, experimentally feasible measurements are far from optimal, except in 1D, where position measurements are indeed optimal. This makes realistic experiments perform very well at few nano Kelvin temperatures for all dimensions, and at sub nano Kelvin temperatures in the one dimensional scenario. These results take a significant step towards experimental realisation of probe-based quantum thermometry of Bose Einstein condensates, as it deals with them in one, two and three dimensions and uses feasible measurements applicable in current experimental setups.
We introduce a novel minimally-disturbing method for sub-nK thermometry in a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). Our technique is based on the Bose-polaron model; namely, an impurity embedded in the BEC acts as the thermometer. We propose to detect temperature fluctuations from measurements of the position and momentum of the impurity. Crucially, these cause minimal back-action on the BEC and hence, realize a non-demolition temperature measurement. Following the paradigm of the emerging field of textit{quantum thermometry}, we combine tools from quantum parameter estimation and the theory of open quantum systems to solve the problem in full generality. We thus avoid textit{any} simplification, such as demanding thermalization of the impurity atoms, or imposing weak dissipative interactions with the BEC. Our method is illustrated with realistic experimental parameters common in many labs, thus showing that it can compete with state-of-the-art textit{destructive} techniques, even when the estimates are built from the outcomes of accessible (sub-optimal) quadrature measurements.
We provide experimental evidence of universal dynamics far from equilibrium during the relaxation of an isolated one-dimensional Bose gas. Following a rapid cooling quench, the system exhibits universal scaling in time and space, associated with the approach of a non-thermal fixed point. The time evolution within the scaling period is described by a single universal function and scaling exponent, independent of the specifics of the initial state. Our results provide a quantum simulation in a regime, where to date no theoretical predictions are available. This constitutes a crucial step in the verification of universality far from equilibrium. If successful, this may lead to a comprehensive classification of systems based on their universal properties far from equilibrium, relevant for a large variety of systems at different scales.
We study the thermodynamics of Bose-Einstein condensation in a weakly interacting quasi-homogeneous atomic gas, prepared in an optical-box trap. We characterise the critical point for condensation and observe saturation of the thermal component in a partially condensed cloud, in agreement with Einsteins textbook picture of a purely statistical phase transition. Finally, we observe the quantum Joule-Thomson effect, namely isoenthalpic cooling of an (essentially) ideal gas. In our experiments this cooling occurs spontaneously, due to energy-independent collisions with the background gas in the vacuum chamber. We extract a Joule-Thomson coefficient $mu_{rm JT} > 10^9$ K/bar, about ten orders of magnitude larger than observed in classical gases.
We study the properties of an atomic Bose--Einstein condensate produced in an optical-box potential, using high-resolution Bragg spectroscopy. For a range of box sizes, up to $70~mu$m, we directly observe Heisenberg-limited momentum uncertainty of the condensed atoms. We measure the condensate interaction energy with a precision of $k_B times 100$ pK and study, both experimentally and numerically, the dynamics of its free expansion upon release from the box potential. All our measurements are in good agreement with theoretical expectations for a perfectly homogeneous condensate of spatial extent equal to the size of the box, which also establishes the uniformity of our optical-box system on a sub-nK energy scale.
We study the anisotropic, elliptic expansion of a thermal atomic Bose gas released from an anisotropic trapping potential, for a wide range of interaction strengths across a Feshbach resonance. We show that in our system this hydrodynamic phenomenon is for all interaction strengths fully described by a microscopic kinetic model with no free parameters. The success of this description crucially relies on taking into account the reduced thermalising power of elastic collisions in a strongly interacting gas, for which we derive an analytical theory. We also perform time-resolved measurements that directly reveal the dynamics of the energy transfer between the different expansion axes.