Bose-Einstein Condensation of Efimovian Triples in the Unitary Bose Gas

Phys Rev Lett. 2022 Jan 14;128(2):020401. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.020401.

Abstract

In an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate quenched to the unitary regime, we predict the sequential formation of a significant fraction of condensed pairs and triples. At short distances, we demonstrate the two-body and Efimovian character of the condensed pairs and triples, respectively. As the system evolves, their size becomes comparable to the interparticle distance, such that many-body effects become significant. The structure of the condensed triples depends on the size of Efimov states compared with density scales. Unexpectedly, we find universal condensed triples in the limit where these scales are well separated. Our findings provide a new framework for understanding dynamics in the unitary regime as the Bose-Einstein condensation of few-body composites.