Hyperfine-Changing Collisions in an Optically Trapped Gas of Ultracold Cesium and Lithium

Published

December 17, 2004

Author(s)

M Mudrich, S Kraft, J Lange, A Mosk, M Weidemuller, Eite Tiesinga

Abstract

We present measurements of the rate of hyperfine-state-changing collisions of unpolarized cesium (133Cs) andlithium (7Li) atoms confined in an optical dipole trap in the temperature range between 30 and 130 muK. Toinfer rate coefficients from trap loss data, we derive a simple thermodynamic model describing relaxation heating as a consequence of atom loss in a conservative potential. For hyperfine-changing Cs-Cs collisions, the experimental results are compared with theoretical predictions and excellent agreement is found. Hyperfine-state-changing collisions in a mixture of lithium and cesium atoms are observed and rate coefficients are inferred forall combinations of hyperfine ground state asymptotes.

Citation

Physical Review A (Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics)

Volume

70

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

cesium, collisional losses, lithium, ultracold atoms

Citation

Mudrich, M. , Kraft, S. , Lange, J. , Mosk, A. , Weidemuller, M. and Tiesinga, E. (2004), Hyperfine-Changing Collisions in an Optically Trapped Gas of Ultracold Cesium and Lithium, Physical Review A (Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics) (Accessed July 27, 2024)