Ml. Chiofalo et al., Probing the energy bands of a Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical lattice - art. no. 063613, PHYS REV A, 6306(6), 2001, pp. 3613
We simulate several methods which could be realized in the laboratory to pr
obe the band excitation energies and the momentum distribution of a Bose-Ei
nstein condensate inside an optical lattice. The values of the excitation e
nergies obtained by the different methods agree within the accuracy of the
simulation. The meaning of the results in terms of density and phase deform
ations is tested by studying the relaxation of a phase-modulated condensate
toward the ground state.