Theory of Quantum Gases and Quantum Coherence: The Cortona BEC Workshop, 29 October-2 November 2005
P. Capuzzi, R Chitra, Chiara Menotti +2 more
This special issue of Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (J. Phys. B) is a collection of articles originating from the three-day International Workshop `Theory of Quantum Gases and Quantum Coherence' held in October 2005 in Cortona, Italy. This workshop was aimed at young researchers, PhD students, post-docs and junior researchers, who formed the vast majority of the participants. In addition, a few senior researchers provided a scientific overview of the main topics of discussion. The workshop followed on from previous events held in Salerno, Italy in 2001 and in Levico, Italy in 2003, which gave rise to two special issues in J. Phys. B (volume 34, issue 23 and volume 36, issue 7). The workshop explored theoretical aspects in the field of ultracold quantum gases in connection with the field of condensed matter physics, covering topics such as fermion pairing in the BEC-BCS crossover, low-dimensional systems, strongly interacting gases, disordered systems, spinor gases and boson--fermion mixtures. This special issue provides a scientific link between important research themes common to the two fields and discusses the various possibilities of creating, with ultracold atoms, systems not easily accessible in traditional condensed matter. Due to the strong nexus between theoretical and experimental progress in these fields, some seminars have been devoted to the most recent experiments. The workshop has been extremely successful, due to the very high quality of the contributions and to the active feedback of participants. We thank them all for their competence, enthusiasm and warm participation. The variety of the topics and the high level of the themes discussed in the workshop are reflected in the papers presented here. They stem from oral and poster contributions and include both topical reviews and original research. The papers have been peer reviewed to the usual high standard of J. Phys. B . We would like to take this opportunity to thank the journal's constant and strong commitment to the physics of quantum gases and fundamental quantum systems and especially its Editor-in-Chief, J-M Rost, and the publishing team for making the realization of this special issue possible. Finally, we would like to thank all the institutions and people who have supported the workshop. The European Science Foundation has provided substantial financial support through the programme `Quantum Degenerate Dilute Systems (QUDEDIS)'. Our gratitude goes especially to the steering committee of the QUDEDIS programme and to its chairman, Professor Dr Martin Wilkens. The BEC-CNR-INFM Research and Development Centre on Bose--Einstein Condensation in Trento has been another important source of financial support and for this we especially thank its Director, Professor Sandro Stringari. Last but not least, we gratefully acknowledge the support of the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, its Director, Professor Salvatore Settis, for granting the use of the `Palazzone', the Palazzone's staff for their help in the logistics, and the dean of the `Classe di Scienze' of the Scuola Normale Superiore, Fulvio Ricci, for the travel support granted to some participants.
Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics•May 2, 2006•1 citation