Abstract
We have observed the interference between two Bose–Einstein condensates of weakly bound Feshbach molecules of fermionic 6Li atoms. Two condensates are prepared in a double-well trap and, after release from this trap, overlap in expansion. We detect a clear interference pattern that unambiguously demonstrates the de Broglie wavelength of molecules. We verify that only the condensate fraction shows interference. With increasing interaction strength, the pattern vanishes because elastic collisions during overlap remove particles from the condensate wave function. For strong interaction, the condensates do not penetrate each other as they collide hydrodynamically.
Highlights
Interference manifests the wave nature of matter
The creation of molecular Bose-Einstein condensates of paired fermionic atoms [19,20,21] provides us with macroscopically coherent molecular matter waves
We present the interference of two such molecular Bose-Einstein condensates (mBECs) and demonstrate interference as a tool to investigate condensates of atom pairs
Summary
Interference manifests the wave nature of matter. The concept of matter waves was proposed by de Broglie in 1923 [1] and represents a cornerstone of quantum physics. Applications include detection of the phase of a condensate in expansion [12], investigation of a condensate with vortices [13], and studies of quasicondensates [14] or Luttinger liquids [15] in reduced dimensions Another fundamental line of research in matter-wave optics is to explore the transition from the quantum to the classical world by detecting the wave nature of progressively larger particles, like clusters [16], C60 [17], and other giant molecules [18]. The creation of molecular Bose-Einstein condensates (mBECs) of paired fermionic atoms [19,20,21] provides us with macroscopically coherent molecular matter waves. We present the interference of two such mBECs and demonstrate interference as a tool to investigate condensates of atom pairs.
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