Dynamical Simulations of Trapped Bose Gases at Finite Temperatures

In this paper, we develop a numerical procedure for investigating the dynamics of trapped Bose gases based on the ZGN theory. The dynamical equations used consist of a generalized Gross-Pitaevskii equation for the condensate order parameter and a semiclassical kinetic equation for the thermal cloud. The former is solved using a fast Fourier transform split-operator technique while the Boltzmann equation is treated by means of N-body simulations. The two components are coupled by mean fields as well as collisional processes that transfer atoms between the two. This scheme has been applied to a model equilibration problem, dipole oscillations in isotropic traps and scissors modes in anisotropic traps. In the case of the latter, the frequencies and damping rates of the condensate mode have been extracted from the simulations for a wide range of temperatures. Good agreement with recent experiments has been found.