A Bose-Einstein condensate is a state of matter of *indistinguishable* particles. It is created when so-called [[Boson|bosons]] -- these can be certain atoms, for example -- are cooled very strongly, almost to [[Absolute Zero Temperature|absolute zero temperature]]. In this super-cold state, the atoms behave like a single large particle, rather than as many individual parts. Bose-Einstein condensates were theoretically predicted as early as 1924, but it was not until 1995 that they were actually produced and measured in the laboratory. >[!read]- Further Reading > - [[Boson]] > - [[Absolute Zero Temperature]] >[!ref]- References >- Bose, Plancks Gesetz und Lichtquantenhypothese, Z. Physik **26**, 178 (1924). > - K. B. Davis, M.-O. Mewes, M. R. Andrews, N. J. van Druten, D. S. Durfee, D. M. Kurn, and W. Ketterle, Bose-Einstein Condensation in a Gas of Sodium Atoms, Phys. Rev. Lett. **75**, 3969 (1995). >- M. H. Anderson, J. R. Ensher, M. R. Matthews, C. E. Wieman, and E. A. Cornell, Observation of Bose-Einstein Condensation in a Dilute Atomic Vapor, Science **269**, 198 (1995).