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arXiv:cond-mat/0006359 · Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics

Bose-Einstein condensation of two interacting particles

M. A. Cirone, Krzysztof Góral, Kazimierz Rza̧żewski, Martin Wilkens

Published Nov 23, 2001• 24 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We investigate the notion of Bose-Einstein condensation of interacting particles. The definition of the condensate is based on the existence of the dominant eigenvalue of the single-particle density matrix. The statistical properties and the characteristic temperature are computed exactly in the soluble models of two interacting atoms.
DOI
10.1088/0953-4075/34/23/304

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An exact expression for the single-particle reduced density matrix of a translationally invariant system of bosons is obtained, as an average of a functional of the density and current operators. An approximation scheme, based on small fluctuations in density and current, is used in its lowest order, to approximate the single-particle reduced density matrix and the condensate density by a functional of the structure factor, which is a measurable quantity. This is done for the ground state and for finite temperatures. The resulting expressions for the condensate density are discussed. For the ideal gas the result is correct below the condensation temperature. For the case of an interacting liquid, Bose-Einstein condensation exists, in the ground states for two- and three-dimensional systems, and for finite temperatures it does exist only in three dimensions. The present experimental knowledge of the structure factor enables only a crude estimate of the condensed fraction which is found to be 0.1-0.2.
The mathematical description of B.E. (Bose-Einstein) condensation is generalized so as to be applicable to a system of interacting particles. B.E. condensation is said to be present whenever the largest eigenvalue of the one-particle reduced density matrix is an extensive rather than an intensive quantity. Some transformations facilitating the practical use of this definition are given.An argument based on first principles is given, indicating that liquid belium II in equilibrium shows B.E. condensation. For absolute zero, the argument is based on properties of the ground-state wave function derived from the assumption that there is no "long-range configurational order." A crude estimate indicates that roughly 8% of the atoms are "condensed" (note that the fraction of condensed particles need not be identified with $\frac{{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{s}}{\ensuremath{\rho}}$). Conversely, it is shown why one would not expect B.E. condensation in a solid. For finite temperatures Feynman's theory of the lambda-transition is applied: Feynman's approximations are shown to imply that our criterion of B.E. condensation is satisfied below the lambda-transition but not above it.
We first review the microscopic characterization of Bose-Einstein condensation. We then discusses possibilities of fragmented condensates, where the single-particle density matrix has more than one macroscopic eigenvalue. Afterwards, we turn to several problems in which it is necessary to go beyond the Gross-Pitaevksii approximation to determine the physics of condensates, in particular, the dependence of the transition temperature on interaction strength, and the physics of the regime where the scattering length becomes comparable to or greater than the interparticle spacing.
We consider two models of interacting Bose gases: a gas of spin one particles in the ground state of a cubic box and a one-dimension Bose gas with contact interactions. We show how to calculate exact eigenstates of the corresponding N-body Hamiltonians. Both models share the property of not leading to the formation of a Bose-Einstein condensate, even at zero temperature, in the strict sense of the existence of a single one-particle state with a macroscopic population. We show that a lot of physical insight can be gained on these two model systems by using the usual Hartree-Fock mean field approach: in this approximation, that we test against the exact result, everything happens as if a single realization of the system was a Bose-Einstein condensate in a state phi breaking the rotational or translational symmetry, and varying in a random way for any new experimental realization.
Introduction Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) is one of the most intriguing phenomena in physics. The basic idea goes back to the 1920s, when Einstein made predictions for the behavior of atoms at sufficiently low temperatures and high densities. However, it took seven decades for experimental physicists to realize this phase under the low-density conditions envisioned by Einstein. In the intermediate period there were many experiments in which aspects of BEC played important roles. Therefore, phenomena such as superfluidity and superconductivity were connected to BEC long before its 1995 realization in ultra-cold, low-density atomic vapors. Since BEC can be discussed with very many different backgrounds and applications in mind, the subject can sometimes be overwhelming for interested students. There is a very good reason why a chapter on BEC does not belong in this book. In all the other chapters here, the processes described involve one or at most two atoms, and the interactions that play a role are between the particles that constitute the atom, namely between the nucleus (or nuclei) and their electrons. The interactions are described quantum mechanically by their Hamiltonian that can always be written exactly in non-relativistic terms, and in some cases can even be solved exactly. This makes atoms and molecules a branch of physics where comparisons between theory and experiments become very meaningful since theoretical predictions are often confirmed to very high accuracy. In BEC, it is the interactions among many atoms that are the key for understanding the phenomenon. Although in principle one could write a Hamiltonian for a Bose condensed gas, its large number of particles makes this not very practical. The starting point for the description of a BEC is in the area of many-body physics that belongs to the expertise of condensed-matter physicists. The interactions between ~10 23 electrons in a solid state with a lattice formed by ~10 23 ions resemble the kind of interactions in a BEC much more closely than the simple fewbody interactions in an atom or molecule. Thus all the theoretical models that have been described up to now are not applicable for the contents of this chapter.