On the Bose-Einstein condensation

The Bose-Einstein condensation of a gas is investigated. Starting from the well-known formulae for Bose statistics, the problem has been generalized to include a variety of potential fields in which the particles of the gas move, and the number w of dimensions has not been restricted to three. The energy levels are taken to be εi≡εs1,....,s10=constanth2ms1α−1a12+...+swαaw2(1≤α≤2) the quantum numbers being s1 ,w= 1, 2, ..., and a1, ..., aw being certain characteristic lengths. (For α = 2, the potential field is that of the w-dimensional rectangular box; for α = 1, we obtain the w-dimensional harmonic oscillator field.) A direct rigorous method is used similar to that proposed by Fowler & Jones (1938). It is shown that the number q = w/α determines the appearance of an Einstein transition temperature T0·For q≤ 1 there is no such point, while for q > 1 a transition point exists. For 1 < q≤ 2, the mean energy ϵ- per particle and the specific heat dϵ-/dT are continuous at T = T0· For q > 2, the specific heat is discontinuous at T = T0, giving rise to a A λ-point. A well-defined transition point only appears for a very large (theoretically infinite) number N of particles. T0 is finite only if the quantity v = N/(a1 .... aw)2/ α¯is finite. For a rectangular box, v is equal to the mean density of the gas. If v tends to zero or infinity as N→ ∞, then T0 likewise tends to zero or infinity. In the case q > 1, and at temperatures T < T 0' there is a finite fraction N0 /N of the particles, given by N 0/N = 1-(T/T0)q, in the lowest state. London’s formula (1938 b) for the three-dimensional box is an example of this equation. Some further results are also compared with those given by London’s continuous spectrum approximation.