  We perform the first numerical three-dimensional studies of quantum field
effects in the Bosenova experiment on collapsing condensates by E. Donley et
al. [Nature 415, 39 (2002)] using the exact experimental geometry. In a
stochastic truncated Wigner simulation of the collapse, the collapse times are
larger than the experimentally measured values. We find that a finite
temperature initial state leads to an increased creation rate of uncondensed
atoms, but not to a reduction of the collapse time. A comparison of the
time-dependent Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov and Wigner methods for the more
tractable spherical trap shows excellent agreement between the uncondensed
populations. We conclude that the discrepancy between the experimental and
theoretical values of the collapse time cannot be explained by Gaussian quantum
fluctuations or finite temperature effects.
