Number-conserving master equation theory for a dilute Bose-Einstein condensate

Abstract

We describe the transition of $N$ weakly interacting atoms into a Bose-Einstein condensate within a number-conserving quantum master equation theory. Based on the separation of time scales for condensate formation and non-condensate thermalization, we derive a master equation for the condensate subsystem in the presence of the non-condensate environment under the inclusion of all two body interaction processes. We numerically monitor the condensate particle number distribution during condensate formation, and derive a condition under which the unique equilibrium steady state of a dilute, weakly interacting Bose-Einstein condensate is given by a Gibbs-Boltzmann thermal state of $N$ non-interacting atoms.

References in corpus (3)

• Direct observation of Anderson localization of matter-waves in a controlled disorder
• Monitoring derivation of the quantum linear Boltzmann equation
• Condensation of N interacting bosons: Hybrid approach to condensate fluctuations

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Microscopic scattering theory for interacting bosons in weak random potentials
• Spontaneously broken gauge symmetry in a Bose gas with constant particle number
• Decoherence of trapped bosons by buffer gas scattering: What length scales matter?
• Energetic cooling below the BEC transition: a quantum kinetic description within the Bogoliubov approximation
• Transition of a mesoscopic bosonic gas into a Bose-Einstein condensate