# Bose-Einstein Condensation in Microgravity

@article{vanZoest2010BoseEinsteinCI,
title={Bose-Einstein Condensation in Microgravity},
author={T. van Zoest and Naceur Gaaloul and Yeshpal Singh and Holger Ahlers and Waldemar Herr and Stephan T. Seidel and Wolfgang Ertmer and Ernst Maria Rasel and M J Eckart and Endre Kajari and Steven E. Arnold and Gerrit Nandi and Wolfgang P. Schleich and R. Walser and A. Vogel and Klaus Sengstock and Kai Bongs and Wojciech Lewoczko-Adamczyk and Max Schiemangk and Thilo Schuldt and Achim Peters and T. K{\"o}nemann and Hauke M{\"u}ntinga and Claus L{\"a}mmerzahl and Hansj{\"o}rg Dittus and Tilo Steinmetz and Theodor W. H{\"a}nsch and Jakob Reichel},
journal={Science},
year={2010},
volume={328},
pages={1540 - 1543}
}
Going Down the Tube Two pillars of modern physics are quantum mechanics and general relativity. So far, both have remained apart with no quantum mechanical description of gravity available. Van Zoest et al. (p. 1540; see the Perspective by Nussenzveig and Barata) present work with a macroscopic quantum mechanical system—a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of rubidium atoms in which the cloud of atoms is cooled into a collective quantum state—in microgravity. By dropping the BEC down a 146-meter…
235 Citations

## Topics from this paper

A Drop of Quantum Matter
• Physics, Medicine
Science
• 2010
The evolution of a prototypical quantum object, a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), under free-fall conditions is followed and the use of BECs in atom interferometers should allow for more sophisticated tests of general relativity.
Shell potentials for microgravity Bose–Einstein condensates
This work proposes to implement a realistic experimental framework for generating shell-geometry BEC using radiofrequency dressing of magnetically trapped samples, and discusses specific experimental configurations, applicable inhomogeneities and other experimental challenges.
Degenerate Quantum Gases in Microgravity
Clouds of ultra-cold atoms and especially Bose–Einstein condensates (BEC) provide a source for coherent matter-waves in numerous earth bound experiments. Analogous to optical interferometry,
STE-QUEST - Test of the Universality of Free Fall Using Cold Atom Interferometry
The theory of general relativity describes macroscopic phenomena driven by the influence of gravity while quantum mechanics brilliantly accounts for microscopic effects. Despite their tremendous
Hypersonic Bose–Einstein condensates in accelerator rings
Bose–Einstein condensates are transported at hypersonic speeds over a distance of 15 cm in a neutral-atom accelerator ring while preserving their internal coherence and will facilitate the study of superfluidity and give rise to tunnelling and a large range of transport regimes of ultracold atoms.
Quantum mechanics for non-inertial observers
• Physics
• 2017
A recent analysis by Pikovski et al. [Nat. Phys. 11, 668 (2015)] has triggered interest in the question of how to include relativistic corrections in the quantum dynamics governing many-particle
Corrigendum: STE-QUEST—test of the universality of free fall using cold atom interferometry (2014 Class. Quantum Grav. 31 115010)
The theory of general relativity describes macroscopic phenomena driven by the influence of gravity while quantum mechanics brilliantly accounts for microscopic effects. Despite their tremendous
Efficient Description of Bose–Einstein Condensates in Time-Dependent Rotating Traps
Abstract Quantum sensors based on matter-wave interferometry are promising candidates for high-precision gravimetry and inertial sensing in space. The favorable sources for the coherent matter waves
Fast manipulation of Bose-Einstein condensates with an atom chip
We present a detailed theoretical analysis of the implementation of shortcut-to-adiabaticity protocols for the fast transport of neutral atoms with atom chips. The objective is to engineer transport
Quantum transport of ultracold atoms in disordered potentials
In this thesis we study the quantum transport of matter waves with ultracold atoms. Such ultracold atom systems provide a very good control and a high flexibility of the parameters of the systems

## References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 138 REFERENCES
Bose–Einstein condensates in microgravity
We report the current status of our cooperative effort to realize a 87Rb Bose–Einstein condensate in microgravity. Targeting the long-term goal of studying cold quantum gases on a space platform, we
Bose–Einstein condensation on a microelectronic chip
• Physics, Medicine
Nature
• 2001
It is demonstrated that the formation of a condensate can be greatly simplified using a microscopic magnetic trap on a chip, and the possibility of manipulating laser-like coherent matter waves with such an integrated atom-optical system holds promise for applications in interferometry, holography, microscopy, atom lithography and quantum information processing.
A freely falling magneto-optical trap drop tower experiment
We experimentally demonstrate the possibility of preparing ultracold atoms in the environment of weightlessness at the earth-bound short-term microgravity laboratory Drop Tower Bremen, a facility of
Evolution of a Bose-condensed gas under variations of the confining potential.
• Physics, Medicine
Physical review. A, Atomic, molecular, and optical physics
• 1996
We discuss the dynamic properties of a trapped Bose-condensed gas under variations of the confining field and find analytical scaling solutions for the evolving coherent state ~condensate!. We
Nobel lecture: When atoms behave as waves: Bose-Einstein condensation and the atom laser*
The lure of lower temperatures has attracted physicists for the past century, and with each advance towards absolute zero, new and rich physics has emerged. Laypeople may wonder why ‘‘freezing cold’’
Dropping cold quantum gases on Earth over long times and large distances
• Physics
• 2007
We analyze the evolution of a degenerate quantum gas (bosons and fermions) falling in Earth's gravity during long times $(10\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{s})$ and over large distances
Evidence of Bose-Einstein Condensation in an Atomic Gas with Attractive Interactions.
• Physics, Medicine
Physical review letters
• 1995
Evidence for Bose-Einstein condensation of a gas of spin-polarized {sup 7}Li atoms is reported, and phase-space densities consistent with quantum degeneracy are measured for temperatures in the range of 100 to 400 nK.
Low velocity quantum reflection of Bose-Einstein condensates.
The theory of quantum reflection is extended to account for the mean-field interactions of a condensate which suppresses quantum reflection at low velocity and the reflected condensates show collective excitations as recently predicted.
Observation of Bose-Einstein Condensation in a Dilute Atomic Vapor
• Physics, Medicine
Science
• 1995
A Bose-Einstein condensate was produced in a vapor of rubidium-87 atoms that was confined by magnetic fields and evaporatively cooled and exhibited a nonthermal, anisotropic velocity distribution expected of the minimum-energy quantum state of the magnetic trap in contrast to the isotropic, thermal velocity distribution observed in the broad uncondensed fraction.
Anderson localization of a non-interacting Bose–Einstein condensate
This work uses a non-interacting Bose–Einstein condensate to study Anderson localization of waves in disordered media and describes the crossover, finding that the critical disorder strength scales with the tunnelling energy of the atoms in the lattice.