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In Situ Imaging of the Thermal de Broglie Wavelength in an Ultracold Bose Gas

Jinggang Xiang1,2,3, Enid Cruz-Colón1,2,3, Candice C. Chua2,3,4, William R. Milner1,2,3, Julius de Hond1,2,3,*, Jacob F. Fricke1,2,3,†, and Wolfgang Ketterle1,2,3

  • *Present address: Pasqal SAS, Fred. Roeskestraat 100, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
  • †Present address: Institute for Quantum Electronics and Quantum Center, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 183401 – Published 5 May, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.183401

Abstract

We report the first direct in situ observation of density fluctuations on the scale of the thermal de Broglie wavelength in an ultracold gas of bosons. Bunching of Rb87 atoms in a quasi-two-dimensional system is observed by single-atom imaging using a quantum gas microscope. Compared to a classical ensemble, we observe a 30% enhancement of the second-order correlation function. We show the spatial and thermal dependence of these correlations. The reported method of detecting in situ correlations can be applied to interacting many-body systems and to the study of critical phenomena near phase transitions.

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For the second year in a row, our editors have curated a set of some of the best papers from the wide range of topics PRL covers in fundamental and applied physical science. Congratulations to all the authors in this collection!

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A Glimpse at the Quantum Behavior of a Uniform Gas

Published 5 May, 2025

An innovative way to image atoms in cold gases could provide deeper insights into the atoms’ quantum correlations.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 183402 (2025)

Quantum Gas Microscopy of Fermions in the Continuum

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 183403 (2025)

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Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 183401– Published 5 May, 2025
  • Received 13 November 2024
  • Revised 17 January 2025
  • Accepted 18 February 2025
Article part of CHORUS
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