Article abstract
Nature Physics 4, 489 - 495 (2008)
Published online: 20 April 2008 | doi:10.1038/nphys941
Subject Categories: Quantum physics | Statistical physics, thermodynamics and nonlinear dynamics | Atomic and molecular physics
Probing quantum and thermal noise in an interacting many-body system
S. Hofferberth1,2,3, I. Lesanovsky2,4, T. Schumm1, A. Imambekov3,5, V. Gritsev3, E. Demler3 & J. Schmiedmayer1,2
Abstract
The probabilistic character of the measurement process is one of the most puzzling and fascinating aspects of quantum mechanics. In many-body systems quantum-mechanical noise reveals non-local correlations of the underlying many-body states. Here, we provide a complete experimental analysis of the shot-to-shot variations of interference-fringe contrast for pairs of independently created one-dimensional Bose condensates. Analysing different system sizes, we observe the crossover from thermal to quantum noise, reflected in a characteristic change in the distribution functions from poissonian to Gumbel type, in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions on the basis of the Luttinger-liquid formalism. We present the first experimental observation of quasi-long-range order in one-dimensional atomic condensates, which is a hallmark of quantum fluctuations in one-dimensional systems. Furthermore, our experiments constitute the first analysis of the full distribution of quantum noise in an interacting many-body system.
- Atominstitut der Österreichischen Universitäten, TU-Wien, Stadionallee 2, A-1020 Vienna, Austria
- Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Philosophenweg 12, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
- Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 21a, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
Correspondence to: J. Schmiedmayer1,2 e-mail: schmiedmayer@atomchip.org
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