Abstract This chapter contains a general discussion of the phenomenon of BEC, under conditions much broader than those realized in the equilibrium noninteracting system introduced in Chapter 1. A definition of BEC in a general (nonequilibrium, noninteracting) Bose system is given in terms of the eigenvalues of the single-particle density matrix; alternative definitions are also discussed. The important concepts of order parameter and superfluid velocity are introduced. The question is raised: why should BEC occur, and when does it (not)? For Fermi systems, Cooper pairing is defined in terms of the eigenvalues of the two-particle density matrix; again, alternative definitions are briefly discussed, and possible reasons for the occurrence of the phenomenon reviewed. The chapter concludes with an overview of the consequences of BEC/Cooper pairing, and with a discussion of some unusual cases in which the BEC is “fragmented”. Two appendices review the second-quantization formalism and the properties of number and phase operators.
Abstract This chapter contains a general discussion of the phenomenon of BEC, under conditions much broader than those realized in the equilibrium noninteracting system introduced in Chapter 1. A definition of BEC in a general (nonequilibrium, noninteracting) Bose system is given in terms of the eigenvalues of the single-particle density matrix; alternative definitions are also discussed. The important concepts of order parameter and superfluid velocity are introduced. The question is raised: why should BEC occur, and when does it (not)? For Fermi systems, Cooper pairing is defined in terms of the eigenvalues of the two-particle density matrix; again, alternative definitions are briefly discussed, and possible reasons for the occurrence of the phenomenon reviewed. The chapter concludes with an overview of the consequences of BEC/Cooper pairing, and with a discussion of some unusual cases in which the BEC is “fragmented”. Two appendices review the second-quantization formalism and the properties of number and phase operators.
As we all know, single microscopic particles such as electrons or atoms do not behave according to the familiar classical (Newtonian) physics which describes the everyday world, but rather according to the prescriptions of quantum mechanics, the outcome is often bizarre and counterintuitive. When a macroscopic number of such particles (say ∼ 10) is assembled under conditions where the effects of quantum mechanics are important, the results can be even more spectacular; they include macroscopic phenomena such as superfluidity and superconductivity, which are completely impossible to explain in classical terms. Most, though not all of these exotic phenomena, are a result of a phenomenon which I shall refer to generically as “quantum condensation,” in which a macroscopic number of particles or pairs of particles—a nonzero fraction of all particles present—occupy a single quantum state; this phenomenon is traditionally referred to as Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) when it occurs in a system of bosons such as liquid He, and as Cooper pairing when it occurs, for pairs of particles, in a system of fermions such as the electrons in a superconducting metal. As a result of quantum condensation, the characteristically quantum-mechanical behavior which we are used to seeing at the level of single electrons is as it were amplified by the cooperation of condensed particles and can manifest itself at the macroscopic level. The present essay is intended as a general introduction to the subject of quantum condensation and its consequences, as manifested in a variety of physical systems. I will try to review the fundamental physical ideas, usually without de-
The problem of understanding how a coherent, macroscopic Bose- Einstein condensate (BEC) emerges from the cooling of a thermal Bose gas has attracted significant theoretical and experimental interest over several decades. The pioneering achievement of BEC in weakly interacting dilute atomic gases in 1995 was followed by a number of experimental studies examining the growth of the BEC number, as well as the development of its coherence. More recently, there has been interest in connecting such experiments to universal aspects of nonequilibrium phase transitions, in terms of both static and dynamical critical exponents. Here, the spontaneous formation of topological structures such as vortices and solitons in quenched cold-atom experiments has enabled the verification of the Kibble-Zurek mechanism predicting the density of topological defects in continuous phase transitions, first proposed in the context of the evolution of the early universe. This chapter reviews progress in the understanding of BEC formation and discusses open questions and future research directions in the dynamics of phase transitions in quantum gases. Introduction The equilibrium phase diagram of the dilute Bose gas exhibits a continuous phase transition between condensed and noncondensed phases. The order parameter characteristic of the condensed phase vanishes above some critical temperature T c and grows continuously with decreasing temperature below this critical point. However, the dynamical process of condensate formation has proved to be a challenging phenomenon to address both theoretically and experimentally. This formation process is a crucial aspect of Bose systems and of direct relevance to all condensates discussed in this book, despite their evident system-specific properties. Important questions leading to intense discussions in the early literature include the time scale for condensate formation and the role of inhomogeneities and finite-size effects in “closed” systems. These issues are related to the concept of spontaneous symmetry breaking, its causes, and implications for physical systems (see, for example, Chapter 5 by Snoke and Daley). In this chapter, we give an overview of the dynamics of condensate formation and describe the present understanding provided by increasingly well-controlled cold-atom experiments and corresponding theoretical advances over the past twenty years. We focus on the growth of BECs in cooled Bose gases, which, from a theoretical standpoint, requires a suitable nonequilibrium formalism.
This article gives a detailed review of our current theoretical understanding of the crossover from cooperative Cooper pairing to independent bound-state formation and Bose–Einstein condensation in Fermi systems with increasing attractive interactions. Introduction There are two well-known paradigms for understanding the phenomena of superconductivity and superfluidity: (I) BCS theory [1], in which the normal state is a degenerate Fermi liquid that undergoes a pairing instability at a temperature T c ≪ ε f , the degeneracy scale. The formation of Cooper pairs and their condensation (macroscopic occupation of a single quantum state) both occur simultaneously at the transition temperature T c . (II) Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) of bosons at a T c of the order of their degeneracy temperature. At a fundamental level these bosons (for example, 4 He or excitons) are invariably composite objects made up of an even number of fermions. The composite particles form at some very high temperature scale of the order of their dissociation temperature T dissoc , and these “pre-formed” bosons then condense at the BEC T c ≪ T dissoc . In most cases of experimental interest the system under consideration clearly falls into one category or the other. For instance, 3 He is a Fermi superfluid described by (I) whereas 4 He is a Bose superfluid (II). Essentially all cases of superconductivity in metals that we understand reasonably well are much closer to (I) than to (II), as evidenced by the existence of fermionic quasiparticles above T c .
Abstract This chapter starts with a discussion of the symmetry conditions which have to be imposed on the wave function of a many-particle system, and the distinction between bosons and fermions. It then examines the consequences of these conditions for simple systems of non-interacting particles (Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein statistics), and in particular, introduces the phenomenon of Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) in a noninteracting Bose gas. The phenomenon of Cooper pairing of interacting fermions is introduced by a thought-experiment in which one starts from a BEC of tightly bound diatomic molecules made of fermion atoms and gradually weakens the binding. The chapter closes with a description of the various physical systems to be treated in the book, and an account of the phenomenology of superfluidity and superconductivity. An appendix treats the statistical mechanics of a rotating system.
Abstract This chapter presents a general discussion of the phenomenon of superfluidity, starting from the famous Landau criterion for the critical velocity. The Landau expression for the normal (non-superfluid) component of the gas, expressed in terms of the elementary excitations of the system, is derived. The relationship between Bose–Einstein condensation and the phenomenon of superfluidity is outlined, with special focus on the role played by the phase of the order parameter, whose gradient fixes the velocity of the superfluid. The chapter derives the hydrodynamic equations of superfluids at both zero and finite temperatures and discuss the solutions for first and second sound. The formalism of quantum hydrodynamics is presented, with an application to the Beliaev decay of phonons and to the calculation of the fluctuations of the phase. It also discusses the consequences for superfluidity on the rotational properties and the spatial structure of vortex lines.
Abstract The original Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) was theoretically established in the 1920s, for the case of an ideal gas of boson particles (a consequence of the symmetry of the wave function). In the 1990s, it was realized in systems of atomic alkali gases. At the beginning of the 21st century, investigators considered its emergence in solid‐state matter, and a BEC‐like phenomenon was observed in the case of bosonic quasiparticles (elementary excitations in solids). Both types of BEC can occur in a condensation in conditions of thermodynamic equilibrium. A third type of what has been dubbed a BEC in non‐equilibrium conditions can occur in systems of bosonic quasiparticles (phonons, magnons, excitons); this phenomenon (which can be considered as cases of systems with complex behavior) follows after a certain threshold of intensity of an external pumping source is achieved. In this review, after brief comments on the two types of BEC in equilibrium, a description is presented on how a BEC‐like phenomenon arises in systems of quasiparticles that are driven away from thermodynamic equilibrium, and several examples are described. This description is given within a unique theoretical framework, and a comparison with experimental results is performed; in addition, the possible technological applications are outlined.