Ultracold quantum fields (Q930306)

A sentence of this book is quite telling: ``Ultracold quantum gases are like man-made universes that allow us to study interesting quantum many-body phenomena in detail'' (p. 213). Indeed ultracold quantum gases offer to an unprecedented level the opportunity of fine tuning of experiments with subtle features of quantum theory. The book offers a substantial and self-consistent introduction into this exciting and challenging subject of present day research. The prerequisites are put in principle rather low, only at a minimal level in quantum theory and mathematics: this implies however that the way a reader should go is quite steep, even if a good assistance is given him. One can appreciate a very clever strategy in successive reconsideration of concepts and technical tools at increasing level of difficulty: from coherent states of an oscillator to path integral in Schroedinger quantum field theory, repeated use of Hubbard-Stratonovich transformation in contexts of increasing sophistication. Important items in basic quantum theory, e.g. two body scattering, also in presence of a many body medium, but concentrated on s-wave scattering, fine and hyperfine spectral structure, are presented in a new way. As it is important for students going steep ways, a strong motivation is given, continuously making contact with applications in ultracold quantum gases. A great and successfull effort is made to convey to the reader some physical intuition about the considered problem, rather than dealing with mathematical and foundational aspects. Part I of the book gives an introduction to functional-integral approach used in the sequel: here efficiency prevaricates a little on mathematics and foundations of quantum theory and statistical mechanics. Part II is a course of advanced quantum theory and equilibrium statistical mechanics focused on BEC and BCS with attention to the BEC-BCS crossover, but also Hartree-Fock approximation, Ising model, Landau theory of phase transitions and renormalization group theory are touched. Part II is indeed suitable as a text for a course on advanced quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics, obviously with a bias towards the physics of ultracold systems. In Part III several topics in recent research in ultracold gases are treated as a direct application of the developed formalism: one and two dimensional atomic Bose gases, optical lattices and the superfluid to Mott-insulator transition. Finally a detailed representation of Feshbach resonances is given highlightening their role in the physics of ultracold gases. Most appreciable in this essentially theoretical text is the continuous correspondence with events from the laboratories: actually by the extended bibliography laboratories get very close to the reader.