In this work we shall present the overview of our work to study trapped quantum gases in terms of global thermodynamic variables, as well as in terms of coherent modes excitation and investigation of critical phenomena within a condensate. Using cold Na atoms we have produced a sample of Bose‐Einstein condensate atoms, with which we have performed the first experiments to establish an equation of state using global thermodynamic variables. In our system using Rb, we are working to continue on this direction as well as to implement and study the excitation of coherent modes on the confining potential.
Carnot cycles of samples of harmonically confined ultracold 87Rb fluids, near and across Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC), are analyzed. This is achieved through the experimental determination of the corresponding equation of state in terms of the appropriate global thermodynamics for non-uniform confined fluids. We focus our attention on the efficiency of the Carnot engine when the cycle occurs for temperatures either above or below the critical temperature and when BEC is crossed during the cycle. The measurement of the cycle efficiency reveals a perfect agreement with the theoretical prediction (1-TL/TH), with TH and TL serving as the temperatures of the hot and cold heat exchange reservoirs. Other cycles are also considered for comparison.
We report the measurement of the global thermal expansion coefficient of a confined Bose gas of
87Rb in a harmonic potential around the Bose-Einstein condensation transition temperature. We use the concept of global thermodynamic variable, previously introduced and appropriated for a non homogeneous system. The data show divergence on the thermal expansion coefficient near the transition temperature and analyses of the universality behavior shows a critical exponent
α=0.15±0.09. With this obtained value and the critical exponent for the correlation length recently presented in the literature we analyse the scaling law combining dimension and critical exponents.