# Three-body decay of a rubidium Bose-Einstein condensate

## Appendix: Decay rate from a condensate in presence of a thermal component

The decay rate of the condensate via a $`p`$-body collision may involve either a collision between $`p`$ condensate atoms, or a collision between $`q`$ ($`<p`$) condensate atoms and $`pq`$ atoms from the thermal fraction. Taking into account symmetrization , this decay rate can be written:

$$\dot{N}=G\left(n^2(𝐫)d^3r+2n(𝐫)n_{\mathrm{th}}(𝐫)d^3r\right)$$
(6)   
for a two-body process and

$$\dot{N}=L\left(n^3(𝐫)d^3r+6n^2(𝐫)n_{\mathrm{th}}(𝐫)d^3r+6n(𝐫)n_{\mathrm{th}}^2(𝐫)d^3r\right)$$
(7)   
for a three-body process. As indicated in the text we calculate the first integral of each of these two expressions in the Thomas-Fermi limit, assuming a parabolic condensate density

$$n(𝐫)=(\mu V(𝐫))/g$$

inside the condensate, and $`n(𝐫)=0`$ outside. Here $`\mu `$ is the chemical potential, $`V(𝐫)`$ denotes the harmonic trapping potential and $`g=4\pi \mathrm{}^2a/m`$.

To evaluate $`n_{\mathrm{th}}(𝐫)`$ in the remaining terms, we use the Hartee-Fock approximation . Since the density of the thermal fraction is always smaller than the central density of the condensate by an order of magnitude, we neglect the effect of the thermal component on the condensate distribution. In this approximation the density of the thermal fraction is given by:

$$n_{\mathrm{th}}(𝐫)=\mathrm{\Lambda }_T^3g_{3/2}\left(e^{|\mu V(𝐫)|/k_BT}\right)$$

where $`\mathrm{\Lambda }_T=h/\sqrt{2\pi mk_BT}`$ and $`g_{3/2}(z)=z^{\mathrm{}}\mathrm{}^{3/2}`$. This expression takes into account the repulsion of the uncondensed atoms from the condensate by the interaction potential $`2gn(𝐫)`$. The overlap integrals entering in (6) and (7) are then calculated numerically.

The final results can be cast in the form:

$$\frac{\dot{N}}{N}=L\left(n^2+6n\stackrel{~}{n}_{\mathrm{th}}(\mathrm{𝟎})\alpha (\stackrel{~}{\mu })+6\stackrel{~}{n}_{\mathrm{th}}^2(\mathrm{𝟎})\beta (\stackrel{~}{\mu })\right)G\left(n+2\stackrel{~}{n}_{\mathrm{th}}(\mathrm{𝟎})\gamma (\stackrel{~}{\mu })\right)$$

with $`\stackrel{~}{\mu }=\mu /(k_BT)`$. The quantity $`\stackrel{~}{n}_{\mathrm{th}}(\mathrm{𝟎})=\mathrm{\Lambda }_T^3g_{3/2}(1)`$ represents the uncondensed density of an ideal Bose gas at temperature $`T`$ (below $`T_c`$) at the center of the trap. The functions $`\alpha ,\beta ,\gamma `$ are equal to 1 in the limit $`\mu k_BT`$ and smaller than 1 otherwise, since the overlap between $`n(𝐫)`$ and $`n_{\mathrm{th}}(𝐫)`$ is then reduced. For instance, for $`\mu =k_BT`$ (experimental situation at $`t=0`$), we find $`\alpha (1)=0.26`$, $`\beta (1)=0.11`$ and $`\gamma (1)=0.31`$. The effect of mixed collisions (condensate + thermal fraction) is therefore notably reduced with respect to the ideal gas case.