Kinetics of Bose-Einstein condensation in a dimple potential

Abstract

We model the dynamics of condensation in a bimodal trap, consisting of a large reservoir region, and a tight “dimple” whose depth can be controlled. Experimental investigations have found that such dimple traps provide an efficient means of achieving condensation. In our kinetic equations, we include two- and three-body processes. The two-body processes populate the dimple, and lead to loss when one of the colliding atoms is ejected from the trap. The three-body processes produce heating and loss. We explain the principal trends, give a detailed description of the dynamics, and provide quantitative predictions for time scales and condensate yields. From these simulations, we extract optimal parameters for future experiments.