Fig. 1: Indicative non-exhaustive timeline of 100 Years of BEC.

The graphic showcases a subjective selection of some of the main achievements, and corresponding Nobel Prizes (boxed text), related to BEC and macroscopic quantum coherence manifestations across different physical systems. Some emphasis is placed here on experimental advances facilitated by ultracold atoms, as the first controllable pure BEC system extensively investigated. Timeline indicates first credible claim in a given direction, even if not universally accepted; names are given as a non-exhaustive guide. To avoid diluting main BEC features, the present timeline does not include all relevant ‘general’ quantum advances (e.g., de Broglie’s wavelength related to concept of quantum degeneracy, Pauli’s exclusion principle relevant for fermionic pairing), broader inter-related physical advances (e.g., Meissner effect and London’s phenomenological model, collective effects in nuclei, advances in neutron scattering critical to probing superfluid Helium, progress in various types of excitonic and photonic systems), or all theoretically-proposed types of condensation. For a somewhat up-to-date account of main physical systems exhibiting quantum-coherent BEC-based phenomena, see ref. ¹².