1998/09/25 by M. Holzmann, Holzmann, M., P. Gruter +3
Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech) #cond-mat.stat-mech
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.cond-mat/9809356
47 pages, 16 figures, latex file with eps figures
arxiv created 1998/09/25 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30
We study the occurrence of a Bose-Einstein transition in a dilute gas with repulsive interactions, starting from temperatures above the transition temperature. The formalism, based on the use of Ursell operators, allows us to evaluate the one-particle density operator with more flexibility than in mean-field theories, since it does not necessarily coincide with that of an ideal gas with adjustable parameters (chemical potential, etc.). In a first step, a simple approximation is used (Ursell-Dyson approximation), which allow us to recover results which are similar to those of the usual mean-field theories. In a second step, a more precise treatment of the correlations and velocity dependence of the populations in the system is elaborated. This introduces new physical effects, such as a marked change of the velocity profile just above the transition: low velocities are more populated than in an ideal gas. A consequence of this distortion is an increase of the critical temperature (at constant density) of the Bose gas, in agreement with those of recent path integral Monte-Carlo calculations for hard spheres.