Bose-Einstein condensation of dilute gases is an exciting new field of interdisciplinary physics. The eight chapters in this volume introduce its theoretical and experimental foundations. The authors are lucid expositors who have also made outstanding contributions to the field. They include theorists Tony Leggett, Allan Griffin and Keith Burnett, and Nobel-Prize-winning experimentalist Bill Phillips. In addition to the introductory material, there are articles treating topics at the forefront of research, such as experimental quantum phase engineering of condensates, the “superchemistry” of interacting atomic and molecular condensates, and atom laser theory.Contents: Topics in the Theory of the Ultracold Dilute Alkali Gases (A J Leggett)Statistical Mechanics of Bosonic Systems (J Oitmaa)Condensate Oscillations, Kinetic Equations and Two-Fluid Hydrodynamics in a Bose Gas (A Griffin)Finite Temperature Effects in Bose-Einstein Condensates (K Burnett)The Theory of Atom Lasers (R J Ballagh & C M Savage)Vortices and Solitons in Bose-Condensates (P D Drummond)Cooling, Trapping and Manipulation of Neutral Atoms and Bose-Einstein Condensates by Electromagnetic Fields (K Helmerson & W D Phillips)Experimental Aspects of Bose-Einstein Condensation (A C Wilson & C R McKenzie)Readership: Graduate students and researchers in quantum physics.Key Features:The concept of entropy, usually taught only in specialized college-level courses, is made accessible to a broad audienceEnergy needs and damage to the environment, including pollutions of different kinds and climate change, are discussed in terms of the entropy increase in modern societiesThe current entropy crisis is presented against the backdrop of the development of life on earth and the general evolution of the biosphereEnergy needs for food supplies, usually not taken into account in the global energy balance, are emphasized