Abstract
The relative phase of two initially independent Bose-Einstein condensates can be laser cooled to unite the two condensates by putting them into a ring cavity and coupling them with an internal Josephson junction. First, we show that this phase cooling process already appears within a semiclassical model. We calculate the stationary states, find regions of bistable behavior, and suggest a Ramsey-type experiment to measure the buildup of phase coherence between the condensates. We also study quantum effects and imperfections of the system.
- Received 4 January 2001
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.4733
©2001 American Physical Society