Abstract
Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) has been observed in a dilute gas of sodium atoms. A Bose-Einstein condensate consists of a macroscopic population of the ground state of the system, and is a coherent state of matter. In an ideal gas, this phase transition is purely quantum-statistical. The study of BEC in weakly interacting systems which can be controlled and observed with precision holds the promise of revealing new macroscopic quantum phenomena that can be understood from first principles.
© 1996 Optical Society of America
PDF ArticleMore Like This
K.B. Davis, M.-O. Mewes, M.R. Andrews, N.J. van Druten, D.S. Durfee, D.M. Kurn, and W. Ketterle
QTuA2 European Quantum Electronics Conference (EQEC) 1996
N. J. van Druten, D. S. Durfee, K. B. Davis, M.-O. Mewes, M. R. Andrews, D. M. Kurn, and W. Ketterle
QWD2 Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference (CLEO:FS) 1996
C. C. Bradley, C. A. Sacked, and R. G. Hulet
QWD4 Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference (CLEO:FS) 1996