Effect of a finite number of particles in the Bose-Einstein condensation of a trapped gas

Abstract

We consider a finite number of noninteracting bosons trapped in an isotropic three-dimensional harmonic oscillator. Using the grand canonical ensemble, we calculate the heat capacity of the system as a function of temperature, for several values of the number of particles. We find that a new definition of critical temperature is necessary for a finite number of trapped particles, and present a definition that is experimentally convenient and in good agreement with a recent definition given by W. Ketterle and N. J. van Druten [Phys. Rev. A 54, 656 (1996)].