 cool atoms, initially at room temperature, while corralling them toward the center of an evacuated glass box. Next, the laser beams are turned off, and the magnetic coils (copper) are energized. Current flowing through the coils generates a magnetic field that further confines most of the atoms while allowing the energetic ones to escape. Thus, the average energy of the remaining atoms decreases, making the sample colder and even more closely confined to the center of the trap. Ultimately, many of the atoms attain the lowest possible energy state allowed by quantum mechanics and become a single entity known as a Bose-Einstein condensate. )
ATOMIC TRAP cools by means of two different mechanisms. First, six laser beams (red) cool atoms, initially at room temperature, while corralling them toward the center of an evacuated glass box. Next, the laser beams are turned off, and the magnetic coils (copper) are energized. Current flowing through the coils generates a magnetic field that further confines most of the atoms while allowing the energetic ones to escape. Thus, the average energy of the remaining atoms decreases, making the sample colder and even more closely confined to the center of the trap. Ultimately, many of the atoms attain the lowest possible energy state allowed by quantum mechanics and become a single entity known as a Bose-Einstein condensate.
Image: MICHAEL GOODMAN
Editor's Note: The main text of this article, originally published in the March 1998 issue of Scientific American, is being made available in light of the recent nomination of one of the authors, Carl Wieman, as associate director for science in the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Both authors won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2001 for their discovery of the Bose-Einstein condensate. (Wolfgang Ketterle also shared the prize that year for his contributions.) The issue containing the full article with all artwork is available for purchase (PDF).
This article was originally published with the title The Bose-Einstein Condensate.
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20 Comments
Add CommentWhat a great article! Too bad there aren't more of this caliber these days.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAgreed, it's too bad that only occasionally does SciAM stick to Science.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe Bose-Einstein Condensate is showing us space is being caused via a phase relationship.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSee: http://www.amperefitz.com/aphaseuniverse.htm
and
http://www.amperefitz.com/einsteins.blunder.htm
Dan Fitzpatrick
There is not such a things as "degree kelvin". The name of the unit of temperature in an absolute, centigrade scale is Kelvin (K) since 1968.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisUnit of thermodynamic temperature (kelvin): http://www.bipm.org/en/si/base_units/kelvin.html
I join the nostalgia group. This was the stuff which made me love SA.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAmazing stuff.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisstupid question - what does the physical form of the condensate look like?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBose-Einstein Condensate is proof space is merely a phase aspect of this frequency universe
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBose-Einstein Condensate is proof that Dr. Milo Wolff is right and that we are in this frequency universe predicted by Schr�dinger.
Dr. Milo Wolff has proven the electron is a scalar, standing wave and that this is Schr�dinger's frequency universe.
In addition, I've shown that space is merely a phase aspect of this Schr�dinger frequency universe.
By cooling and producing the Bose-Einstein Condensate, you are removing the energy from these standing wave entities thus removing the entity itself.
This does not prove quantum theory wrong -- quantum theory is correct within certain parameters -- but it does indeed prove Dr. Milo Wolff right.
For more about all this see:
http://www.amperefitz.com/bose.einstein.htm
also:
http://www.amperefitz.com/aphaseuniverse.htm
Dan Fitzpatrick
Excellent!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf atoms become completely homogeneous in the Bose-Einstein Condensate state, what happens, when their energy state returns to higher level. How does the Bose-Einstein Condensate "know"what type of atom to reconstruct it's self as?? Is my quantum slip showing or does the BE condensate not reconstruct it's self to it's original atoms? So confusing!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIs a crystal a warmer and lesser form of a condensate?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat is the relative size of the thinnest lasar beam we can make to the size of the atoms?
Why only six lasar beams? cubical pressure?
wouldn't some elements respond better to different numbers of beams?
Is anyone looking at interactions between condensates formed of different elements? How could you move a condensate once formed? i.e. cause two condensates to collide that are formed of different materials? magnetic field pulse or lasar flashes?
G. Karst - Interesting question. I'll guess that at least the particle state information must be somehow retained in its wave state; that it's a state transition or conversion rather than a reconstructive process.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIs there a place where I can find the english translation of S.N Bose's paper on the supercooled gas condensate state?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis article asserts that for atoms in a condensate "the uncertainty principle forbids them from being at the very bottom of the trap." Is that true? How does the uncertainty principle stop an atom from going there? Why couldn't one go there? Would it be more correct that they can't be SEEN to be there?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe construct of Bose condensate is taking place in very high frequency ultra small exotic energy drops of gravitoethertons or earlier days name ether which is running at a speed much much higher than light speed towards center of earth . This is the background where Bose condensate construct or reconstruct and reconstruct will always be in atoms of Hydrogen and not original atoms as per my calculation. Our vision of quantum mechanics is based on empty space as Einstein discarded ether and wrong relativity theory. That is why we talk about uncertainty principle and Einstein considered it impossible. But if you study my theory of ether-dark energy -gravity theory of gravitoethertons available in --durgadas datta facebook -- and balloon inside balloon theory published in ASTRONOMY.NET in year 2002 ,then you will see how this back drop of gravitoethertons which we call empty space so dynamic and vibrant and minutely dissimilar to create uncertainty principle or principle of Dr. Frank Wilzcek or even construction of Mendeleefs periodic table in the great poetic musical harmony of back drop ether or gravitoethertons. How this ether is formed and flowing is another story discussed in my balloon inside balloon theory . So please read my theories to understand universe better and come out of magic of relativity which is also quite good but obstructs vision of reality .
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOkay, here's what I've never quite understood. If Bose-Einstein condensation is behind superfluidity in helium, which has been observed for a long time now, why does everyone make a big deal out of these guys creating a Bose-Einstein condensate? Is it just because these are the first guys to do it in gaseous, rather than liquid, state?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYes, I'm waiting for someone to say what the BEC looks like "to the the naked eye".
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat makes it confusing is the way it is described. Classical Physics can describe it much better. All atoms at any temperature above absolute zero vibrate. That is how the heat energy is stored. They vibrate at very high frequencies and the wavelength of these vibrations much less than the width of the atom. As the atoms are cooled the frequency of their vibrations is reduced which increase the wavelength. Close to absolute zero the wavelength of the vibration eventually equals the width of the atom. At this point all the atoms vibrate at the same frequency as one unit. These atoms still contain some heat and are not at absolute zero. They are still individual atoms just as soldiers marching unison appear as one but are still individuals.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisjohn e royer...i like your description...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisdaniel35...the number of atoms in the existing becs is way to small to see with the naked eye...i would think that any of the "microscopes" we us to see atoms would actually cause them to heat so they would no longer be a "condensate"....that being said i don't know how they know how many atoms are in a given bec....anyone have any thoughts on this...
Cold fusion reactions apparently use this state. Here is an article refering to the Rossi/Focardi approach:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.physics.purdue.edu/people/faculty/yekim/naturwis-printed-pub.pdf