Dependence of rubidium trap loss collisions on trap laser intensity and detuning

Summary form only given. Inelastic collisions between cold atoms can lead to their ejection from the laser trap that confines them. Understanding these trap loss collisions is important to efforts aimed at high densities of cold atoms. Previously we have observed pronounced differences in the collisional behavior of the two isotopes, /sup 85/Rb and /sup 87/Rb, for the trap laser tuned one natural linewidth below resonance. We have extended our measurements for both isotopes to smaller and larger detunings in an effort to separate the various contributions to the trap loss rate.