Quantum kinetic theory VII: The influence of vapor dynamics on condensate growth

Abstract

We extend earlier models of the growth of a Bose-Einstein condensate to include the full dynamical effects of the thermal cloud by numerically solving a modified quantum Boltzmann equation. We determine the regime in which the assumptions of the simple model are a reasonable approximation, and compare our new results with those that were earlier compared with experimental data. We find good agreement with our earlier modelling, except at higher condensate fractions, for which a significant speedup is found. We also investigate the effect of temperature on condensate growth, and find that this has a surprisingly small effect. The discrepancy between theory and experiment remains, since the speedup found in these computations does not occur in the parameter regime specified in the the experiment.

Fourteen pages, TeX source with 11 figures. Changes : Extended section on formalism to include a derivation of the ergodic Boltzmann equation that we use, and a fuller explanation of the numerical methods. Explained more fully the possible errors with the experimental data. Added section detailing the source of possible errors in this formulation. Added comparison of our work with the manuscript cond-mat/0001323, and some analysis of the fits to the MIT growth curves