We extend the work of Javanainen and Yoo [Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 161 (1996)] on the interference between two Bose-Einstein condensates to include the effects of collisions. The competing effects of the atomic detections that establish phase coherence and the decohering effects of the collisions are computed using the Monte Carlo wave-function method. Limits to the tolerance of the condensate phase to atomic collisions are established.

• Received 8 July 1996

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.54.R3718