Quantum Kinetic Theory for a Condensed Bosonic Gas

Abstract

We present a kinetic theory for Bose-Einstein condensation of a weakly interacting atomic gas in a trap. Starting from first principles, we establish a Markovian kinetic description for the evolution towards equilibrium. In particular, we obtain a set of self-consistent master equations for mean fields, normal densities, and anomalous fluctuations. These kinetic equations generalize the Gross-Pitaevskii mean-field equations, and merge them consistently with a quantum-Boltzmann equation approach.

15 pages, no figures; reviewed version; to be published in PRA