Statics and Dynamics of BEC Vortex Matter

Publication Date

1-2005

Type of Culminating Activity

Thesis

Degree Title

Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering

Department

Materials Science and Engineering

Supervisory Committee Chair

Charles Hanna

Comments

1.1 Bose and Einstein

One of the great mysteries of physics at the beginning of the 20th century was the explanation for the blackbody radiation spectrum. Blackbody radiation refers to the energy that a body re-radiates after absorbing all radiation incident upon it. This spectrum bears certain characteristics independent of what kind of radiation it has absorbed. Classical physics was unable to predict the shape of the entire radiation curve; while some theories existed that could predict the spectrum for high or low wavelength limits [1], it was not until Max Planck announced his theory of blackbody radiation in the year 1900 [2] that a comprehensive theory arose that could explain the entire spectrum. According to Planck's theory, the energy density spectrum U(T, v) is given by

where T is the blackbody temperature, v is the frequency of radiation, c is the speed of light, k is Boltzmann's constant, and h is a constant determined by Planck and later named Planck's constant. In his paper [2], Planck described how the quantization of energy leads to his formula, and thus began the foray of physics into the realm of quantum mechanics.

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