Abstract

The experimental realization of Bose-Einstein condensation^1-3 has stimulated much interests in investigating the rich physics of these trapped weakly interacting bose gases.⁴ Although much has been learned within the last several years,⁴ more subtle aspects of the condensation process and the quantum dynamics await further elucidation. Various studies have been performed in the past,⁵ utilizing classical kinetic approaches,⁶ molecular gas dynamics approaches,⁷ and quantum kinetic and quantum master equation approaches.⁸ In this paper, we use the well-established phase space techniques, in particular, the P-representation approach, to study the quantum dynamics of trapped degenerate bose gases.

© 1998 Optical Society of America