title: General theoretical description of N-body recombination.
abstract: Formulas for the cross section and event rate constant describing recombination of N particles are derived in terms of general S-matrix elements. Our result immediately yields the generalized Wigner threshold scaling for the recombination of N bosons. A semianalytical formula encapsulates the overall scaling with energy and scattering length, as well as resonant modifications by the presence of N-body states near the threshold collision energy in the entrance channel. We then apply our model to the case of four-boson recombination into an Efimov trimer and a free atom.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and JILA, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA. mehtan@jilau1.colorado.edu
authors.forename: N P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.forename: Seth T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Rittenhouse
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: D'Incao
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: von Stecher
authors.forename: Chris H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Greene