Abstract
Bose-Einstein condensation of has been studied in a magnetically trapped gas. Because of the effectively attractive interactions between atoms, many-body quantum theory predicts that the occupation number of the condensate is limited to about 1400 atoms. We observe the condensate number to be limited to a maximum value between 650 and 1300 atoms. The measurements were made using a versatile phase-contrast imaging technique.
- Received 5 September 1996
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.78.985
©1997 American Physical Society