New levels of control at low temperature

J.T.M. Walraven

In: NWO/Huygenslezing 2000. - Den Haag : Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 2000. - P. 25 - 33

Abstract: The observation of Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC) in 1995 by Eric Cornell and Carl Wieman has resulted in a profound confrontation of the knowledge of two major fields in physics: the physics of atoms in radiation fields (quantum optics) and the physics of many-particle systems at low temperature (quantum fluids). The concept of BEC dates back to 1924 when it was proposed by Albert Einstein as the daring consequence of the analogy between light waves and matter waves when applied to a gas of atoms at low temperatures. Although the analogy is appealing it has its limitations: atoms interact (collide), photons don't. From the quantum optics point of view these interactions provide the fundamental limitations in precision measurements (for example in atomic clocks); from the point of view of the quantum fluids they enable unprecedented control over the properties of quantum systems. In my contribution, I will address the impact of Bose-Einstein Condensation with examples to illustrate various points of view on this discovery. no url available

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