Bose-Einstein Statistics

Consider a system of N identical and indistinguishable bosons of

integral spin. They do not obey Pauli exclusion principle. At a

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particular time the particles are distributed among the different

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energy states, so that n1 particles have energy E1, n2 particles

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have energy E2 and so on.
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Let us find out the total number of ways in which ni particles can
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be distributed in gi cells (or states) having the energy level Ei. We
have gi items of one kind and ni items of another kind.

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We know that if we have A items of one kind and B items of
another kind. How many ways you arrange this items? Since A
and B are identical and indistinguishable, A and B can be arranged
by themselves.
A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 B1 B2 B3 B4

A  B !

m
p

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A !B !

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We have gi items of one kind and ni items of
p
n i  g i !
another kind. Apparently, we can say it would be
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n i !g i !
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But not possible. Because particles can not be located outside the
cells (or states)

States gi = 5
Partitions (gi -1) = 4 Partitions (gi -1) Particles ni
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The total number of possible distributions of the particles is
given by the simultaneous permutations of ni particles and (gi-1)
partitions and is given by (ni+gi-1)! But this includes also the
permutations of ni particles among themselves as both these
groups are internally indistinguishable. Thus the actual number
of ways in which ni particles can be distributed in gi states is

m

n i  g i  1!

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(1)
n i !g i - 1!

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Further, since the particles are taken to be indistinguishable, it
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will not be possible to detect an difference if the n1 particles are
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reshuffled into different states occupied by them in the energy
level E1. Therefore, the total number of distinguishable
arrangement of n1 particles in g1 states is,


n 1  g1  1!
n 1!g1 - 1!
(2)

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Therefore, the total number of different and distinguishable ways
in which n1, n2, n3 etc particles can be distributed among the
various energy levels E1, E2, E3 etc can be obtained by
n 1  g1  1! n 2  g 2  1! n 3  g 3  1!
P   ........
n 1!g1 - 1! n 2 !g 2 - 1! n 3 !g 3 - 1!
n  g i  1!

m
N
 i
i 1 n i !g i - 1 !

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(3)

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i
is called the product.
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r.
When the particles is in equilibrium, the probability is maximum.
When P is maximum logP is maximum in eq(3). Hence, the most
probable distribution can be obtained by evaluating the maximum
value of logP. This should also satisfy the two conditions that
N   ni  Constant E   ni Ei  Constant (4)
i i
N
Taking logarithm of P, logP   [log e (n i  g i - 1)!-loge n i !-loge (g i - 1)!]
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 By Stirling’s theorem, logx! = xlogx - x
N
logP   [(n i  g i - 1)log(ni  g i - 1) - (n i  g i - 1) - n i loge n i  n i - (g i - 1)loge (g i - 1)  (g i - 1)]
i
N
  [(n i  g i - 1)log(ni  g i - 1) - n i loge n i - (g i - 1)loge (g i - 1)]
(6)
i

Differential form of eq. (6) as follows:

m
ye
N
d(logP)   [d{(n i  g i - 1)loge (n i  g i - 1)} - d{n i log e n i - 0]

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i
N
  [log e (n i  g i - 1)dn i - log e n i dn i ]
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i
N
 d(logP)   [-loge (n i  g i - 1)  log e n i ]dn i
i
For most probable distribution (for maximum value): dlogP = 0
N

 [-log (n
i
e i  g i - 1)  log e n i ]dn i  0 (7)
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 N   ni  Constant   dni  0 (8)
i i

E   ni Ei  Constant   Ei dni  0 (9)

i i

Eq. (8) and (9) can be incorporated into eq (7) by making use of
Lagrange’s method of undetermined multipliers. Multiplying eq (8) by 
and eq (9) by  and adding to eq (7), we get

m
ye
N

[ log(n  g i  1)  log n i    E i ]dn i  0

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i
i

 [ log(n i  g i  1)  log n i    E i ]dn i  0

r.
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After integration with integrating cons. 0 (let).

[ log(n i  g i  1)  log n i    E i ]  0

 [ log(n i  g i )  log n i    E i ] ni +gi is >>1, so we neglect 1.

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 ni
 log    E i
(n i  g i )
gi   E i gi
 1 e  n i    E i (10)
ni e 1

m
Eg. (10) is known as Bose-Einstein Distribution law.

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1

Substituting
r. k: Boltzmann constant
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kT T: Temperature

gi
ni  (  E i / kT )
(11)
e 1
B-E distribution law in terms of temperature
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 Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC)
According to the Bose-Einstein statistics particles are distributed
at several states in the system. At the temperature drops below Tc,
a larger fraction “condenses” into the ground state. As the
temperature approaches absolute zero, all the particles condense

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into the ground state. This phenomenon, which occur even in the

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absence of direct interaction between the bosons, is called Bose-

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Einstein condensation.
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Note that the fraction of particles that are condensing into the
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ground state are all in the same quantum state.

This state was first predicted, generally, in 1924–25 by Satyendra

Nath Bose and Albert Einstein.
Experimentally proved in 1995 by Cornell and Wieman
(University of Colorado)
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Satyendra Nath Bose first sent a paper to Einstein on the quantum statistics of light
quanta (now called photons), in which he derived Planck's quantum radiation
law without any reference to classical physics. Einstein was impressed, translated
the paper himself from English to German and submitted it for Bose to
the Zeitschrift für Physik, which published it in 1924. Einstein then extended Bose's
ideas to matter in two other papers. The result of their efforts is the concept of
a Bose gas, governed by Bose–Einstein statistics, which describes the statistical
distribution of identical particles with integer spin, now called bosons. Bosons, which

m
include the photon as well as atoms such as helium-4 (4He), are allowed to share a

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quantum state. Einstein proposed that cooling bosonic atoms to a very low

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temperature would cause them to fall (or "condense") into the lowest
accessible quantum state, resulting in a new form of matter.
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In 1938 Fritz London proposed BEC as a mechanism for superfluidity in 4He
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and superconductivity. On June 5, 1995 the first gaseous condensate was produced
by Eric Cornell and Carl Wieman at the University of Colorado at BoulderNIST–
JILA lab, in a gas of rubidium atoms cooled to 170 nanokelvins (nK). Shortly
thereafter, Wolfgang Ketterle at MIT demonstrated important BEC properties. For
their achievements Cornell, Wieman, and Ketterle received the 2001 Nobel Prize in
Physics. Many isotopes were soon condensed, then molecules, quasi-particles, and
photons in 2010.
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