Bose-Einstein Condensation In Dilute Gases

In 1925 Einstein predicted that at low temperatures particles in a gas could all reside in the same quantum state. This peculiar gaseous state, a Bose-Einstein condensate, was produced in the laboratory for the first time in 1995 using the powerful laser cooling methods developed in recent years. These condensates exhibit quantum phenomena on a large scale, and investigating them has become one of the most active areas of research in contemporary physics. The study of Bose-Einstein condensates in dilute gases encompasses a number of different subfields of physics, including atomic, condensed matter, and nuclear physics. The authors of this textbook explain this exciting new subject in terms of basic physical principles, without assuming detailed knowledge of any of these subfields. This pedagogical approach therefore makes the book useful for anyone with a general background in-Physics, from undergraduates to researchers in the field. Chapters cover the statistical physics of trapped gases, atomic properties, the cooling and trapping of atoms, interatomic interactions, structure of trapped condensates, collective modes, rotating condensates, superfluidity, interference phenomena, and trapped Fermi gases. Problem sets are also included in each chapter.