The thermodynamic limit of an ideal Bose gas by asymptotic expansions and spectral $\zeta$-functions

TL;DR

This paper investigates the thermodynamic limit of an ideal Bose gas using asymptotic expansions and spectral $ta$-functions, revealing how phase transitions and Bose-Einstein condensation are reflected in the mathematical structure of the system.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of $ta$-regularization to derive asymptotic expansions that encode phase transition phenomena in Bose gases.

Findings

Expansion resembles heat kernel in non-condensed phase

Singularity of infinite order indicates condensation onset

Critical density and energy are determined by expansion coefficients

Abstract

We analyze the thermodynamic limit - modeled as the open-trap limit of an isotropic harmonic potential - of an ideal, non-relativistic Bose gas with a special emphasis on the phenomenon of Bose-Einstein condensation. This is accomplished by the use of an asymptotic expansion of the grand potential, which is derived by $\zeta$-regularization techniques. Herewith we can show, that the singularity structure of this expansion is directly interwoven with the phase structure of the system: In the non-condensation phase the expansion has a form that resembles usual heat kernel expansions. By this, thermodynamic observables are directly calculable. In contrast, the expansion exhibits a singularity of infinite order above a critical density and a renormalization of the chemical potential is needed to ensure well-defined thermodynamic observables. Furthermore, the renormalization procedure forces the system to exhibit condensation. In addition, we show that characteristic features of the thermodynamic limit, like the critical density or the internal energy, are entirely encoded in the coefficients of the asymptotic expansion.