Customer Reviews

Bose-Einstein Condensation in Dilute Gases

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I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to get into the field of Bose-Einstein condensation. Myself being a novice to the subject, I found a very well structured text with an exceptional balance between experiment and theory. All dicussions are well supported with examples. The theory parts are very detailed so that even the unexperienced reader can easily follow.

Of the three main books on laser cooling and BEC that are on the market right now (Laser Cooling by Metcalf and Atom Optics by Meystre) this one is by far the best. There are a lot of details here, but unfortunately a lot more are still left out. Chapter 8, and sections 11.3, and 14.3 in particular should be rewritten. Too many equations are written down from nowhere without any derivation. Some sections, like 13.2, are clearer in the original papers. So while this book is a vast improvement over the current state of affairs, there is quite a ways to go for a truly good textbook in this subject. Still, while the quality of the exposition varies wildly from chapter to chapter, many of the chapters ARE well written, and so you can still learn a great deal from this book. Until a better book comes along, this is the book to buy in this subject.

If you need to know what a BEC is and how to make it do what you want so you can graduate, get this book :)

It is the standard text for researchers in the field. Lots of great references. Written by respected experts. Either edition is worth owning.