Growth of Bose-Einstein condensates from thermal vapor -: art. no. 080402

We report on a quantitative study of the growth process of Rb-87 Bose-Einstein condensates. By continuous evaporative cooling we directly control the thermal cloud from which the condensate grows. We compare the experimental data with the results of a theoretical model based on quantum kinetic theory. We find quantitative agreement with theory for the situation of strong cooling, whereas in the weak cooling regime a distinctly different behavior is found in the experiment.