title: Avalanches in a Bose-Einstein condensate.
abstract: Collisional avalanches are identified to be responsible for an 8-fold increase of the initial loss rate of a large (87)Rb condensate. We show that the collisional opacity of an ultracold gas exhibits a critical value. When exceeded, losses due to inelastic collisions are substantially enhanced. Under these circumstances, reaching the hydrodynamic regime in conventional Bose-Einstein condensation experiments is highly questionable.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Strasse 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marte
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amtage
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sang
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rempe
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Beijerinck