Physics 07 - Bose Einstein Condensation

We have seen in the previous chapter that Bose dealt with photons which have no mass. Einstein extended the idea by treating quantum particles with mass as indistinguishable from one another for statistical purposes. "The quanta or molecules are NOT treated as structures statistically independent of one another" he wrote. He applied this approach to a gas of quantum particles and was amazed to discover that they can condense into liquid state even without a force of attraction between them. On the other hand, a gas of classical particles will remain a gas unless the particles attract each other. This phenomenon is now called Bose-Einstein Condensation. This was a brilliant and important discovery in quantum mechanics. The genius of Einstein recognised the physical reality and the significance of Bose's methods, concepts and conclusions. PS: In 1975, Bose-Einstein Condenation was achieved experimentally by Eric A. Cornell, Wolfgang Ketterle and Carl E. Wieman, who were awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize for this work.