1 Bose–Einstein Condensation (BEC)
is described as the process occurring only very close to absolute zero (for example, below 1
mK) in which a large fraction of a dilute gas of weakly interacting bosons confined
in an external potential have a lowest quantum state (or states) in which their wave
functions overlap; hence the name of Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) attributed to such
a system of supercooled/ultracold, weakly interacting bosons with overlapping wave
functions.
The original theoretical paper was published in 1925 in Zeitschrift fur Physik by Satyendra Nath
Bose in the German translation of Albert Einstein, and followed in a few theoretical papers by
Einstein himself. Recently, there have been several experimental claims reported to have
observed BECs in alkali metal gases at very low temperatures (see the following selected
bibliography).
For a general introduction to BECs there is also available a related paper in PDF format.
1.1 Bose-Einstein condensation in the alkali gases
A fundamental theoretical paper on this subject is: “Bose-Einstein condensation in the alkali
gases: Some fundamental concepts” [Rev. Mod. Phys. 73, 307 (2001)], by Anthony J.
Leggett.
References
[1] M. Greiner, O. Mandel, T. Esslinger, T. W. Hansch, I. Bloch (2002). “Quantum
phase transition from a superfluid to a Mott insulator in a gas of ultracold atoms”.
Nature 415: 39–44.
[2] S. Jochim, M. Bartenstein, A. Altmeyer, G. Hendl, S. Riedl, C. Chin, J. Hecker
Denschlag, and R. Grimm (2003). ”Bose–Einstein Condensation of Molecules”. Science
302: 2101–2103.
[3] Markus Greiner, Cindy A. Regal and Deborah S. Jin (2003). “Emergence of a
molecular Bose–Einstein condensate from a Fermi gas”. Nature 426: 537–540.
[4] M. W. Zwierlein, C. A. Stan, C. H. Schunck, S. M. F. Raupach, S. Gupta, Z.
Hadzibabic, and W. Ketterle (2003). “Observation of Bose–Einstein Condensation of
Molecules”. Physical Review Letters 91: 250401.
[5] C. A. Regal, M. Greiner, and D. S. Jin (2004). “Observation of Resonance
Condensation of Fermionic Atom Pairs”. Physical Review Letters 92: 040403.
[6] Anthony J. Leggett (Nobel Laureate in Physics in 2004). Erratum: Bose–Einstein
condensation in the alkali gases: Some fundamental concepts [Rev. Mod. Phys. 73, 307
(2001)]. Published 20 August 2003.
