Bose-Einstein condensation in a gas of sodium atoms
Kendall B. Davis, M.‐O. Mewes, Michael R. Andrews +4 more
Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) has been observed in a dilute gas of sodium atoms. A Bose-Einstein condensate consists of a macroscopic population of the ground state of the system, and is a coherent state of matter. In an ideal gas, this phase transition is purely quantum-statistical. The study of BEC in weakly interacting systems which can be controlled and observed with precision holds the promise of revealing new macroscopic quantum phenomena that can be understood from first principles.
•Jul 14, 1996•0 citations