Finite-range bias in fitting three-body loss to the zero-range model

TL;DR

This paper investigates how finite-range effects influence the analysis of three-body recombination in ultracold atoms, revealing that temperature dependence in zero-range models can be affected by experimental uncertainties rather than true physics.

Contribution

The authors introduce a finite-range model using hyperspherical formalism to better understand three-body recombination beyond zero-range approximations.

Findings

Finite-range effects can significantly alter the interpretation of three-body loss data.

Temperature dependence of zero-range parameters may be driven by experimental error, not physics.

Finite-range modeling helps quantify systematic errors in three-body parameter measurements.

Abstract

We study the impact of finite-range physics on the zero-range-model analysis of three-body recombination in ultracold atoms. We find that temperature dependence of the zero-range parameters can vary from one set of measurements to another as it may be driven by the distribution of error bars in the experiment, and not by the underlying three-body physics. To study finite-temperature effects in three-body recombination beyond the zero-range physics, we introduce and examine a finite-range model based upon a hyperspherical formalism. The systematic error discussed in the paper may provide a significant contribution to the error bars of measured three-body parameters.