This article reviews experimental and theoretical work on Bose-Einstein condensation in quantum magnets. These magnets are natural realizations of gases of interacting bosons whose relevant parameters such as dimensionality, lattice geometry, amount of disorder, nature of the interactions, and particle concentration can vary widely between different compounds. The particle concentration can be easily tuned by applying an external magnetic field which plays the role of a chemical potential. This rich spectrum of realizations offers a unique possibility for studying the different physical behaviors that emerge in interacting Bose gases from the interplay between their relevant parameters. The plethora of other bosonic phases that can emerge in quantum magnets, of which the Bose-Einstein condensate is the most basic ground state, is reviewed. The compounds discussed in this review have been intensively studied in the last two decades and have led to important contributions in the area of quantum magnetism. In spite of their apparent simplicity, these systems often exhibit surprising behaviors. The possibility of using controlled theoretical approaches has triggered the discovery of unusual effects induced by frustration, dimensionality, or disorder.
This article reviews experimental and theoretical work on Bose-Einstein condensation in quantum magnets. These magnets are natural realizations of gases of interacting bosons whose relevant parameters such as dimensionality, lattice geometry, amount of disorder, nature of the interactions, and particle concentration can vary widely between different compounds. The particle concentration can be easily tuned by applying an external magnetic field which plays the role of a chemical potential. This rich spectrum of realizations offers a unique possibility for studying the different physical behaviors that emerge in interacting Bose gases from the interplay between their relevant parameters. The plethora of other bosonic phases that can emerge in quantum magnets, of which the Bose-Einstein condensate is the most basic ground state, is reviewed. The compounds discussed in this review have been intensively studied in the last two decades and have led to important contributions in the area of quantum magnetism. In spite of their apparent simplicity, these systems often exhibit surprising behaviors. The possibility of using controlled theoretical approaches has triggered the discovery of unusual effects induced by frustration, dimensionality, or disorder.
The recent experimental advances in the field of quantum spin materials have led to well-controlled systems which can be used in order to simulate complex quantum models in a clean fashion. Here we discuss how fascinating effects normally known from bosonic systems such as the Bose-Einstein condensation can be investigated with the help of such materials. We discuss as an example how a crossover between an effectively one-dimensional geometry described by a Luttinger liquid to a three-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensation can be induced. Additionally, we point out how more complex phases as the Bose-glass phase could be realized in these quantum magnets. Introduction Although it can seem paradoxical, the quantum magnetic states found in insulators offer an interesting route to study Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) and more generally phenomena related to itinerant, interacting bosonic systems. In many materials, the repulsion between the electrons causes the ground state to be a Mott insulator with one electron localized per site. In such a case, the charge degrees of freedom are completely locked by large charge gaps (usually of the order of tens of electron volts). However, one can study the fascinating physics of the spin degrees of freedom. As was shown a long time ago, the localized spins are coupled by a so-called superexchange which may be ferro- or antiferromagnetic. The properties of the exchange coupling between the spins depend mainly on the underlying atomic structure of the material. The resulting physics is extremely rich and such materials can have a host of phases ranging from ordered magnetic phases to so-called spin-liquid phases in which spin–spin correlations decay extremely fast with distance. The field of research concerning these materials, dubbed quantum magnetism, is thus an extremely active field in its own right [1]. Additionally, one can exploit the formal mapping that exists between spin operators and bosonic ones, as will be described in the next section, to connect the magnetic materials to itinerant bosonic systems with interactions between the bosons. This opens the way to use such quantum spin systems as quantum simulators. A quantum simulator means that the experimental system can be employed in order to “solve” in a controlled way a problem/Hamiltonian known from a different less controlled physical realization, e.g., inspired by fundamental many-body physics, quantum information or computational applications.
The realization of Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC) in dilute gases of ultracold atoms has revolutionized quantum physics by offering an unprecedented platform to study quantum phenomena on macroscopic scales. Ultracold atomic systems, cooled to temperatures near absolute zero, exhibit collective behaviors governed by quantum statistics, coherence, and interactions. This article discusses the theoretical and experimental frameworks underpinning the formation of BECs, focusing on the trapping, cooling, and coherence properties of ultracold bosonic gases. Further, we delve into the role of quantum phase transitions, atom-atom interactions, and external field manipulation in controlling condensate dynamics. The implications of BECs extend into precision measurements, quantum simulation, and quantum computing, positioning them as a cornerstone in modern atomic and condensed matter physics.
Bose-Einstein condensation is a unique phase transition in that it is not driven by interparticle interactions, but can theoretically occur in an ideal gas, purely as a consequence of quantum statistics. This chapter addresses the question, ‘ How is this ideal Bose gas condensation modified in the presence of interactions between the particles?’ This seemingly simple question turns out to be surprisingly difficult to answer. Here we outline the theoretical background to this question and discuss some recent measurements on ultracold atomic Bose gases that have sought to provide some answers. Introduction Unlike the vast majority of phase transitions, Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) is not driven by interparticle interactions but can theoretically occur in an ideal (noninteracting) gas, purely as a consequence of quantum statistics. However, in reality, interactions are needed for a Bose gas to remain close to thermal equilibrium. It is thus interesting to discuss if something close to ideal gas BEC can be observed in a real system and what happens in the vicinity of the BEC transition in the presence of interparticle interactions. These simple questions have not been easy to answer, either theoretically or experimentally. The theoretical foundations for studying the effect of interactions on Bose condensed systems were laid over half a century ago by Bogoliubov [1], Penrose and Onsager [2], and Belieav [3], among others. These works initially focused on zerotemperature properties and were extended to nonzero temperature in the pioneering papers of Lee, Huang, and Yang [4, 5, 6, 7]. At that time, the main experimental system was liquid He-4 in which the inter-particle interactions are strong, making connections with theory difficult. The realisation in 1995 of BEC in weakly interacting ultracold atomic gases [8, 9] thus opened up the possibility to experimentally revisit some of these long-discussed questions. This was further aided by, among other advances, the use of Feshbach resonances to tune the interaction strength in atomic gases [10, 11]. Thus, in the last twenty years the study of ultracold Bose gases has been very successful (see Chapter 3 for an insightful account of selected topics and surprising developments over this exciting period). However, the fact that, until recently, ultracold atoms were confined using harmonic potentials has hindered the study of the BEC transition itself.
The monograph is devoted to the main aspects of theoretical description of quantum many-body systems with Bose-Einstein or Fermi-Dirac statistics. We provide a review of modern methods of theoretical research, both analytical and numerical, as well as experimental realizations of unique effects and phenomena in quantum systems. The main attention is given to the theoretical study of exotic states in degenerate gases of atoms and quasiparticles. We develop a methology to accurately determine chemical potentials and other thermodynamic characteristics of ideal Bose and Fermi gases. These allow us to describe the ultraslow-light phenomenon in ultracold atomic gases in the framework of the microscopic approach that accounts for the internal degrees of freedom of bound states. The formalism relies on the linear response theory applied for the case of weak perturbation by the external elecromagnetic field. We also study Bose-Einstein condensation of photons in ideal atomic gases in different regimes of degeneracy of atomic and photonic components. A special attention is given to the Bogoliubov method of quasiaverages and related theory of a weakly interacting Bose gas with condensate. We extend the Bogoliubov theory to examine the spinor condensate and its magnetic states, as well as the condensate of heteronuclear Fermi-Fermi molecules. We also study a spatially periodic state of Bose-Einstein condensate, which can serve as a model for supersolid state of matter and develop the hydrodynamic theory of the latter. We outline the main statements of the Fermi liquid theory including the Pomeranchuk stability conditions of the normal state. It is shown that the violation of stability conditions results in certain phase transitions associated with the breaking of translational symmetry and rotational symmetry in the momentum space. We review a progress in the theoretical description of ultracold Fermi gases consisting of neutral atoms in the presence of the optical lattice spatial modulation. In case of multicomponent systems, a number of unique magnetically-ordered states are theoretically studied and predicted. We also develop a theory of highly dispersive spinful excitons in cobaltite compounds that explains certain unusual magnetic properties and effects in the resonant inelastic X-ray scattering on these materials.
Bose–Einstein condensation is a quantum statistical phase transition that occurs in a system consisting of bosons when a single-particle quantum state becomes macroscopically occupied. This peculiar state of matter was first predicted in 1925 and finally realized seventy years later in vapours of weakly-interacting alkali-metal atoms. Since then, Bose–Einstein condensates have been one of the most fascinating research fields in modern physics. \n \nThe gaseous condensates offer a robust platform to accurately study interacting many-particle systems from the first principles. Experimentally, the possibility to precisely control a condensate with external fields and directly image its order parameter provides unforeseen opportunities to obtain deep insight into phenomena across different subfields of physics. In particular, gaseous condensates can emulate complicated models that arise in atomic, condensed-matter, and even particle physics, allowing realizations of exotic phenomena that are elusive in their original contexts. An outstanding example is the existence of various topological defects in ultacold quantum gases with internal degrees of freedom. \n \nIn this thesis, we investigate the creation, stability, and dynamical properties of various topological defects in spinor Bose–Einstein condensates. The majority of the theoretical results is obtained by numerically solving the dynamics using Gross–Pitaevskii equations for spin-1 condensates. Many theoretical predictions are confirmed by the very good agreement with experiments. \n \nThe first experimental observations of a topological point defect in an order parameter describing the quantum gas are presented. Such a point defect is reminiscent to the magnetic monopole particle appearing in grand unified theories. Therefore, the discovery of monopoles in quantum gases further encourages the quest for finding magnetic monopoles in natural electromagnetic fields, a search largely initiated by Paul Dirac almost a century ago. \n \nSubsequently, the fine structure and decay dynamics of the point defect are studied numerically and verified in experiments. The created monopole is gradually destroyed during the polar-to-ferromagnetic quantum phase transition, which results in the spontaneous emergence of a Dirac monopole in synthetic magnetic field. In addition to the singular point defect, the first experimental realization of a knot soliton in the context of quantum field is reported. This thesis lays the foundation for studies of the dynamics and stability of three-dimensional topological structures in quantum systems.
The understanding of disordered quantum systems is still far from being complete, despite many decades of research on a variety of physical systems. In this review we discuss how Bose–Einstein condensates of ultracold atoms in disordered potentials have opened a new window for studying fundamental phenomena related to disorder. In particular, we direct our attention to recent experimental studies on Anderson localization and on the interplay of disorder and weak interactions. These realize a very promising starting point for a deeper understanding of the complex behaviour of interacting, disordered systems.