  We present a new derivation of the spectral gap of the totally asymmetric
exclusion process on a half-filled ring of size L by using the Bethe Ansatz. We
show that, in the large L limit, the Bethe equations reduce to a simple
transcendental equation involving the polylogarithm, a classical special
function. By solving that equation, the gap and the dynamical exponent are
readily obtained. Our method can be extended to a system with an arbitrary
density of particles.
  Keywords: ASEP, Bethe Ansatz, Dynamical Exponent, Spectral Gap.
