Ultracold atoms are an ideal platform for understanding system-reservoir dynamics of many-body systems. Here, we study quantum back-action in atomic Bose-Einstein condensates, weakly interacting with a far-from resonant, i.e., dispersively interacting, probe laser beam. The light scattered by the atoms …

Weak-measurement-induced heating in Bose-Einstein condensates Read more »

A majority of ultracold atom experiments utilize resonant absorption imaging techniques to obtain the atomic density. To make well-controlled quantitative measurements, the optical intensity of the probe beam must be precisely calibrated in units of the atomic saturation intensity Isat. In …

Direct calibration of laser intensity via Ramsey interferometry for cold atom imaging Read more »

A fundamental tenet of quantum mechanics is that measurements change a system’s wavefunction to that most consistent with the measurement outcome, even if no observer is present. Weak measurements produce only limited information about the system, and as a result …

Quantum back-action limits in dispersively measured Bose-Einstein condensates Read more »

Anderson localization is a single-particle localization phenomena in disordered media that is accompanied by an absence of diffusion. Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) describes an interaction between a particle’s spin and its momentum that directly affects its energy dispersion, for example, creating …

Enhanced transport of spin-orbit-coupled Bose gases in disordered potentials Read more »

We trap individual 1D Bose gases and obtain the associated equation of state by combining calibrated confining potentials with in situ density profiles. Our observations agree well with the exact Yang–Yang 1D thermodynamic solutions under the local density approximation. We find that …

Equations of state from individual one-dimensional Bose gases Read more »

Topological order is often quantified in terms of Chern numbers, each of which classifies a topological singularity. Here, inspired by concepts from high-energy physics, we use quantum simulation based on the spin degrees of freedom of atomic Bose-Einstein condensates to …

Second Chern number of a quantum-simulated non-Abelian Yang monopole Read more »