The shape of the emerging condensate in effective models of condensation

Abstract: We consider effective models of condensation where the condensation occurs as time t goes to infinity. We provide natural conditions under which the build-up of the condensate occurs on a spatial scale of 1/t and has the universal form of a Gamma density. The exponential parameter of this density is determined only by the equation and the total mass of the condensate, while the power law parameter may in addition depend on the decay properties of the initial condition near the condensation point. We apply our results to some examples, including simple models of Bose-Einstein condensation.