Density Matrix of a Bose--Einstein Condensate: Steady--State versus Mean--Field Approach
Abstract
We compare the equilibrium solution for the condensate obtained in the mean--field approximation to the master equation for sympathetic cooling with the one obtained by Scully for a system in contact with a heat bath with the help of an analogy with the laser. While the mean--field approach yields analytical formulas for the approach towards equilibrium and for the equilibrium solution, it neglects the correlations between occupation numbers of different single--particle states which are approximately kept in Scully's approach. Such neglect is admissible as long as the fraction of Bosons in the condensate does not exceed a few percent or so.
- Publication:
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arXiv e-prints
- Pub Date:
- November 2001
- DOI:
- 10.48550/arXiv.cond-mat/0111413
- arXiv:
- arXiv:cond-mat/0111413
- Bibcode:
- 2001cond.mat.11413W
- Keywords:
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- Condensed Matter