Marlan O. Scully
THE LASER-BEC ANALOGY: the quantum theory of the atomic laser
Marlan O. Scully
Texas
A&M
University and Princeton
University
The study of fluctuations of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is a subtle problem with many pitfalls and surprises.[1] For example, a simple analytical treatment of fluctuations near the critical temperature has only recently been achieved.[2] In particular, we find that a master equation approach, having much in common with the quantum theory of the laser, yields an accurate and physically transparent picture of BEC fluctuations.
[1] Adv. In Atom. Mol., and Opt. Phys., 53, 291 (2006)
[2] PRL, 97, 190402 (2006)
