A proof is given of the condensation phenomenon of a Bose-Einstein gas. A preliminary discussion of its transport properties is outlined with a view to its possible bearing on the problem of liquid helium.
The condition which has to be fulfilled in order that the Bose-Einstein condensation be accompanied by a discontinuity of the heat capacity at the condensation temperature is discussed. The nature of the transition depends on the distribution of the energy levels of the individual particles forming the gas. The condensation is studied for several types of individual energy spectra. It is shown that all those Bose-Einstein (B.E.) assemblies which admit a non-ambiguous definition of the statistical distribution function present, beside interesting analogies, a qualitatively different behavior from that observed in liquid helium. It appears that as long as the transition in momentum space of non-ideal B.E. systems is not understood, the possibility of connection between B.E. condensation and the transition observed in liquid helium remains an open problem.
Bose–Einstein condensation is a phenomenon, first proved by Einstein, in which a gas of bosons condenses into the lowest quantum state below a certain critical temperature. It occurs due to the symmetry, under particle exchange, of the boson wave function. The chapter discusses temperature, the Kelvin scale, the concept of absolute zero, and how laser cooling can reach ultralow temperatures. The property of bosons in which they often prefer to be in the same state is seen to apply to lasers, superfluid liquid helium, and to dilute nearly ideal gases. The latter are trapped in magnetic or optical potential wells where the condensation can be observed directly. These large condensate matter waves show quantum interference in a variety of possible experiments.