Analysis of a simple equation for the ground state energy of the Bose gas

From MaRDI portal
Publication:2020198



Abstract: In 1963 a partial differential equation with a convolution non-linearity was introduced in connection with a quantum mechanical many-body problem, namely the gas of bosonic particles. This equation is mathematically interesting for several reasons. (1) Although the equation was expected to be valid only for small values of the parameters, further investigation showed that predictions based on the equation agree well over the {it entire range} of parameters with what is expected to be true for the solution of the true many-body problem. (2) The novel nonlinearity is easy to state but seems to have almost no literature up to now. (3) The earlier work did not prove existence and uniqueness of a solution, which we provide here along with properties of the solution such as decay at infinity.


The manuscript is an interesting study where the integrable solutions of the system (1-1)--(1-2) provide a valuable and illuminating route to the computation of the properties of the ground state for a Bose gas. In this study, the authors first prove the solutions of Eqs. (1-1) and (1-2) without making any assumption on the potential V other than its positivity and integrability that are of physical interest are those that are integrable and satisfy $u(x)\leq 1$ for all $x$. Next, the authors proved that $u\geq 0$ if and only if $u\leq 1$. This, in principle, leaves the door open to solutions that are sometimes $>1$ and sometimes $<0$. Furthermore, they do not assume in the study that the potential is radially symmetric. However, the uniqueness statement implies that $u$ is radially symmetric whenever $V$ is radially symmetric. Finally, they study decay of $u$ at infinity, and prove that $V$ decays exponentially. The manuscript is well-written and organized. Their scientific aim is precise, and the paper's title is informative and consistent. The authors clearly outlined the research question. The study methods are valid and trustworthy. There are enough detail and information to replicate the investigation. Besides, the results support the findings. The constraints of the study are not destructive. Briefly, the study provides a simple tool to approximate the ground state energy of the Bose gas. For Part II, see [the authors, SIAM J. Math. Anal. 53, No. 5, 5322--5360 (2021; Zbl 1477.35189)].











This page was built for publication: Analysis of a simple equation for the ground state energy of the Bose gas

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q2020198)