The first nobel prize of the century comment on bose-einstein condensation

The principle of Bose-Einstein Condensation(BEC) is outlined.The great contribution of E.A.Connell,C.E.Wieman and W.Ketterle who shared the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics,in creating the world's first Bose-Einstein Condensate is described.New progress in their studies of BEC physics and atomlasers is reviewed,as well as further prospects of for the applications of BEC.