We study the mutual interaction of a Bose-Einstein condensed gas with a single mode of a high-finesse optical cavity. We show how the cavity transmission reflects condensate properties, and calculate the self-consistent intracavity light field and condensate evolution. Solving the coupled condensate-cavity equations we find that while falling through the cavity, the condensate is adiabatically transfered into the ground state of the periodic optical potential. This allows time-dependent nondestructive measurements on Bose-Einstein condensates, with intriguing prospects for subsequent controlled manipulation.

• Received 7 October 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.61.033609