Phase Sensitivity of a Nonlinear Matter-Wave Interferometer

We present a theoretical study of the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in a one-dimensional time-dependent double-well potential. As the two separate wells merge into a single well, moving nonlinear excitations (dark solitons) are formed in the condensate. The amplitude of either the soliton oscillations or the dipole oscillations in the single-well harmonic trap is sensitive to the relative phase between initially separated condensates. By employing the classical field approximation, we examine the phase sensitivity of the interferometry for different recombination rates and temperatures, and investigate the connection between the dynamics of the nonlinear excitations and the condensate heating.