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PUBLICATIONS

Observation of Bose-Einstein Condensation in a Dilute, Atomic Vapor below 200 nanokelvins

Published

Author(s)

M H. Anderson, J R. Ensher, M R. Matthews, C E. Wieman, Eric A. Cornell

Abstract

We have produced a Bose-Einstein condensate in a vapor of rubidium-87 atoms confined by magnetic fields and evaporatively cooled. The condensate fraction first appears near a temperature of 180 nK and a number density of 2.5 X1012 cm-3 and can be preserved in our trap for more than 15 seconds. We see three primary signatures of Bose-Einstein condensation. (1) On top of the usual broad thermal velocity distribution, a narrow peak appears that is centered at zero velocity. (2) The fraction of the atoms that are in this low-velocity peak increase discontinuously as the sample temperature is lowered. (3) The peak exhibits a nonthermal, anisotropic velocity distribution expected of the minimum-energy quantum state of our magnetic trap, in contrast to the isotropic, thermal velocity distribution observed in the broad uncondensed fraction.
Citation
Science
Pub Type
Journals

Keywords

Bose-Einstein condensation, evaporative cooling, laser cooling, magnetic trapping

Citation

Anderson, M. , Ensher, J. , Matthews, M. , Wieman, C. and Cornell, E. (2021), Observation of Bose-Einstein Condensation in a Dilute, Atomic Vapor below 200 nanokelvins, Science (Accessed October 10, 2025)

Issues

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Created October 12, 2021
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