Interaction-driven dynamics of 40K-87Rb fermion-boson gas mixtures in the large-particle-number limit -: art. no. 020401

We have studied effects of interspecies attraction in a Fermi-Bose mixture over a large regime of particle numbers in the K-40-Rb-87 system. We report on the observation of a mean-field driven collapse at critical particle numbers of 1.2x10(6) Rb-87 atoms in the condensate and 7.5x10(5) K-40 atoms consistent with mean-field theory for a scattering length of a(FB)=-284a(0). For large overcritical particle numbers, we see evidence for revivals of the collapse. Part of our detailed study of the decay dynamics and mechanisms is a measurement of the (Rb-87-Rb-87-K-40) three-body loss coefficient K-3=(2.8 +/- 1.1)x10(-28) cm(6)/s, which is an important parameter for dynamical studies of the system.