Collapse and three-body loss in a 85Rb Bose-Einstein condensate

Abstract

Collapsing Bose-Einstein condensates are rich and complex quantum systems for which quantitative explanation by simple models has proved elusive. We present experimental data on the collapse of high-density 85Rb condensates with attractive interactions and find quantitative agreement with the predictions of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The collapse data and measurements of the decay of atoms from our condensates allow us to put new limits on the value of the 85Rb three-body loss coefficient K3 at small positive and negative scattering lengths. © 2011 American Physical Society.