Temporal Talbot effect in interference of matter waves from arrays of Bose-Einstein condensates and transition to Fraunhofer diffraction

We consider interference patterns produced by coherent arrays of Bose-Einstein condensates during their one-dimensional expansion. Several characteristic pattern structures are distinguished depending on value of the evolution time. Transformation of Talbot collapse-revival behavior to Fraunhofer interference fringes is studied in detail. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.