Finite temperature correction to the Thomas-Fermi approximation for a Bose-Einstein condensate: comparison between theory and experiment

Abstract

We observe experimentally a deviation of the radius of a Bose-Einstein condensate from the standard Thomas-Fermi prediction, after free expansion, as a function of temperature. A modified Hartree-Fock model is used to explain the observations, mainly based on the influence of the thermal cloud on the condensate cloud.