Rydberg Molecules for Ion-Atom Scattering in the Ultracold Regime

0489314 - ÚFCH JH 2019 RIV US eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
Schmid, T. - Veit, C. - Zuber, N. - Löw, I. - Pfau, T. - Tarana, Michal - Tomza, M.
Rydberg Molecules for Ion-Atom Scattering in the Ultracold Regime.
Physical Review Letters. Roč. 120, č. 15 (2018), č. článku 153401. ISSN 0031-9007. E-ISSN 1079-7114
Grant CEP: GA ČR(CZ) GP14-15989P
Institucionální podpora: RVO:61388955
Klíčová slova: Ab initio calculations * Experimental methods * Interaction potentials
Obor OECD: Physical chemistry
Impakt faktor: 9.227, rok: 2018

We propose a novel experimental method to extend the investigation of ion-atom collisions from the so far studied cold, essentially classical regime to the ultracold, quantum regime. The key aspect of this method is the use of Rydberg molecules to initialize the ultracold ion-atom scattering event. We exemplify the proposed method with the lithium ion-atom system, for which we present simulations of how the initial Rydberg molecule wave function, freed by photoionization, evolves in the presence of the ion-atom scattering potential. We predict bounds for the ion-atom scattering length from ab initio calculations of the interaction potential. We demonstrate that, in the predicted bounds, the scattering length can be experimentally determined from the velocity of the scattered wave packet in the case of Li-6(+)-Li-6 and from the molecular ion fraction in the case of Li-7(+)-Li-7. The proposed method to utilize Rydberg molecules for ultracold ion-atom scattering, here particularized for the lithium ion-atom system, is readily applicable to other ion-atom systems as well.
Trvalý link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0283755