Bose-Einstein condensate diagram

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    Bose-einstein Diagram
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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the interpretation of Bose-Einstein condensate diagrams, specifically focusing on the axes, colors, and their physical meanings. The diagrams represent particle velocities, with color indicating the density of particles at specific velocities (vx, vy). As temperature decreases, more particles occupy the same quantum mechanical ground state, leading to a higher density of particles with zero velocity. The reference provided is "Observation of Bose-Einstein Condensation in a Dilute Atomic Vapor" by Anderson et al., published in Science in 1995.

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  • Understanding of quantum mechanics, specifically Bose-Einstein statistics
  • Familiarity with particle velocity distributions
  • Knowledge of color mapping in scientific visualization
  • Basic principles of thermodynamics related to temperature and particle behavior
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  • Study the principles of Bose-Einstein condensation in detail
  • Explore the significance of velocity distribution in quantum gases
  • Learn about color mapping techniques in scientific data visualization
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Physicists, researchers in quantum mechanics, and students studying condensed matter physics will benefit from this discussion, particularly those interested in the visualization and interpretation of Bose-Einstein condensate phenomena.

Jufa
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TL;DR
Struggling with Bose-Einstein condensates diagram.
I have seen many of these diagrams in internet and I fail to figure out what their actual meaning is. Can someone explain what the axes and different colours mean? Also, which is the physical interpretation that can be extracted from them? Thanks in advance :).
miguel_bose.png
 
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Jufa said:
many of these diagrams
You could add a reference !

You know what BE condensation means ?

Picture shows particle velocities. Color is density: number of particles with vx, vy in a cell. When it gets colder number of particles with vx=vy=0 increases: they all tend occupy the same QM ground state
 
The original data looks like
bec1_fig2.jpg

Observation of Bose-Einstein Condensation in a Dilute Atomic Vapor
M. H. Anderson, J. R. Ensher, M. R. Matthews, C. E. Wieman, E. A. Cornell
Science, v. 269, no. 5221 (1995), p. 198-201

These are false color images of the velocity distribution of the atoms in the clouds. The image you posted is the same data, but with an added height that is the same as the color map (in other words, color and height represent the same thing, namely the density of atoms with a given velocity).
 
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Note that because Bose-Einstein in achieved here in a trap, the condensation happens not only in momentum space, but also in ordinary space. This is why the figure in the OP cheats a bit by presenting a spatial scale for what should be only velocities.
 
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BvU said:
You could add a reference !

You know what BE condensation means ?

Picture shows particle velocities. Color is density: number of particles with vx, vy in a cell. When it gets colder number of particles with vx=vy=0 increases: they all tend occupy the same QM ground state
If colour stands for the density, what is the height?
 
color = height
 
Jufa said:
If colour stands for the density, what is the height?
DrClaude said:
(in other words, color and height represent the same thing, namely the density of atoms with a given velocity).
 
Perfect, thanks! I do fully understand the diagram now.
 

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