Abstract

One of the most elegant yet unobserved results of quantum statistical mechanics is Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC) of a gas. Although superfluidity and superconductivity appear to be manifestations of Bose condensation, the BEC character is both masked by and dependent on the very strong interactions involved. Compressing gaseous atoms until their interparticle spacing is less than their de Broglie wavelength has been unsuccessful, but the recent advances in laser cooling now appear to make it possible. We present an attractive route to BEC in a gas by trapping and cooling cesium atoms in a low- pressure vapor cell.

© 1992 Optical Society of America