PHYSICAL MATHEMATICS SEMINAR TOPIC: TOWARD A GENERAL THEORY OF BOSE-EINSTEIN CONDENSATION SPEAKER: DR. DIONISIOS MARGETIS Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences Harvard University ABSTRACT: An exciting recent advance in physics is the first experimental observation of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute atomic gases. In these experiments, a trap is used to keep the atoms together for evaporative cooling below the phase transition. It is the purpose of this talk to describe a theory that treats systematically the effect of such an external potential on Bose-Einstein condensation. An essential element of this theory is the consideration of atoms excited in pairs from the macroscopic state. The talk also provides an explicit example of non-perturbative effects in quantum field theory. DATE: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2001 TIME: 2:30 PM LOCATION: Building 2, Room 338 Refreshments will be served at 3:30 PM in Room 2-349 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Mathematics Cambridge, MA 02139