Theory of Bose-Einstein condensation of atomic hydrogen in a dynamic trap
- 1 May 1987
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review A
- Vol. 35 (9), 3597-3606
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.35.3597
Abstract
A study is made of the quantum mechanics of a gas of spin-polarized (b-state) atomic hydrogen confined in a three-dimensional dynamic (ac) magnetic trap. A previous classical treatment indicated that evaporative cooling from such a trap could be used to attain conditions for Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC). An approximate solution is developed for the quantum mechanics of a single atom in an ac trap. This solution is then used to treat the statistical mechanics of the BEC in an ac trap. The ideal-gas limit is briefly considered, and this is compared with the more realistic approximation of a nonideal gas described by the finite-temperature Hartree-Fock equations with an s-wave scattering-length interaction. The threshold temperature for BEC differs only slightly from the value for an ideal gas. However, the nature of the condensate is strongly dependent on the scattering length.Keywords
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