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We experimentally investigate the evolution of spatial phase correlations in a rapidly quenched inhomogeneous Bose gas of rubidium using off-resonant matter-wave interferometry. We measure the phase coherence length ℓ of the sample and directly probe its increase during the early stage of condensate growth before vortices are formed. Once the vortices are formed stably in the quenched condensate, the measured value of ℓ is shown to be linearly proportional to the mean distance between the vortex. These results confirm the presence of phase coarsening prior to vortex formation, which is crucial for a quantitative understanding of the resultant defect density in samples undergoing critical phase transitions. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
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