PROBING BOSE-EINSTEIN CONDENSED ATOMS WITH SHORT LASER-PULSES

We propose a method of probing a system of cooled atoms in a trap using short laser pulses. Above the critical temperature for Bose-Einstein condensation such a system scatters very weakly. Coherent scattering occurs primarily in the forward direction. Below the critical temperature, the number of scattered photons increases dramatically and the scattered light is emitted in the solid angle determined by the size of the condensate.