We employ an ultracold sample of potassium-39 atoms to realize a Bose-Einstein condensate with tunable interaction. Dynamic tuning of the atom-atom interaction is achieved by means of Feshbach resonances. We can tune the s-wave scattering length from standard values of the order of a few hundred Bohr radii down to unprecendented values around a small fraction of a Bohr radius.
We have employed such tunable Bose-Einstein condensate to investigate quantum phenomena like Anderson localization of matter-waves or interferometry with Bose gases, whose study was so far prevented by the presence of interaction. In addition, this system has allowed us to experimentally verify the universal properties of weakly bound three-body bound (Efimov) states with resonant interaction.
We have employed such tunable Bose-Einstein condensate to investigate quantum phenomena like Anderson localization of matter-waves or interferometry with Bose gases, whose study was so far prevented by the presence of interaction. In addition, this system has allowed us to experimentally verify the universal properties of weakly bound three-body bound (Efimov) states with resonant interaction.
March 2010: a Post-Doc position is now available on this project. Please contact Prof. G. Modugno for details.