In 1925
Einstein predicted that at low temperatures
particles in a gas could all reside in the same quantum
state. This gaseous state, a Bose-Einstein condensate, was
produced in the laboratory for the first time in 1995 and
investigating such
condensates has become one of the most
active areas in contemporary
physics. The study of
Bose-Einstein condensates in dilute
gases encompasses a
number of different subfields of physics, including atomic,
condensed matter, and nuclear physics. The authors of this
graduate-level textbook explain this exciting new subject
in terms of
basic physical principles, without assuming
detailed knowledge of any of these subfields. Chapters
cover the statistical physics of trapped gases, atomic
properties, cooling and trapping atoms, interatomic
interactions, structure of trapped condensates, collective
modes, rotating condensates, superfluidity, interference
phenomena, and trapped Fermi gases. Problem sets are also
included in each chapter.