Decoherence effects in Bose-Einstein condensate interferometry. I: General theory (Q2431326)

In the present paper a basic theoretical treatment of decoherence and dephasing effects in interferometry based on single component Bose-Einstein condensates in double potential wells are given. Here, results for both two mode condensates and the simpler single mode condensate case are presented. The author uses a hybrid phase space distribution functional method, where the condensate modes are described via a truncated Wigner representation, whilst the basically unoccupied non-condensate modes are described via a positive \(P\) representation. The Hamiltonian for the system is described in terms of quantum field operators for the condensate and non-condensate modes. The functional Fokker-Planck equation for the double phase space distribution functional is derived using the correspondence rules, and then Ito equations for the stochastic fields associated with the condensate and non-condensate field annihilation and creation field operators are determined. The stochastic field equations are the sum of a deterministic term obtained from the drift vector in the functional Fokker-Planck equation, and a noise field whose stochastic properties are determined from the diffusion matrix in the functional Fokker-Planck equation. It is established that the stochastic properties of the noise field terms are similar to those for Gaussian-Markov processes in that the stochastic averages of odd numbers of noise fields are zero and those for even numbers of noise field terms are the sums of products of stochastic averages associated with pairs of noise fields. However, each pair is represented by an element of the diffusion matrix rather than products of the noise fields themselves, as in the case of Gaussian-Markov processes. The treatment starts from a generalised mean field theory for two condensate modes, where generalised coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations are obtained for the modes and matrix mechanics equations are derived for the amplitudes describing possible fragmentations of the condensate between the two modes. By means of the Dirac-Frenkel variational principle the author derives these self-consistent sets of equations.