Related papers: Observation of quantum diffractive collisions usin…
We demonstrate broadband laser cooling of atomic ions in an rf trap using ultrafast pulses from a modelocked laser. The temperature of a single ion is measured by observing the size of a time-averaged image of the ion in the known harmonic…
We report measurement of inelastic loss in dense and cold metastable ytterbium (Yb[$^3P_2$]). Use of an optical far-off-resonance trap enables us to trap atoms in all magnetic sublevels, removing multichannel collisional trap loss from the…
In two-color optical nanofiber-based dipole traps for cold alkali atoms, the trap efficiency depends on the wavelength and intensity of light in the evanescent field, and the initial laser-cooling process. Typically, no more than one atom…
Clocks based on cold atoms offer unbeatable accuracy and long-term stability, but their use in portable quantum technologies is hampered by a large physical footprint. Here, we use the compact optical layout of a grating magneto-optical…
We report on the experimental realization of a robust and efficient magneto-optical trap for erbium atoms, based on a narrow cooling transition at 583nm. We observe up to $N=2 \times 10^{8}$ atoms at a temperature of about $T=15 \mu K$.…
We present an apparatus for the study of an ultracold gaseous atomic mixture of 133Cs and 87Rb. The mixture is prepared using a double magneto-optical trap (MOT) system in which a two-species pyramid MOT acts as a source of cold atoms for a…
In a recent paper, we have proposed a novel laser cooling scheme for reducing collisional energy of a pair of atoms by using photoassociative transitions. In that paper, we considered two atoms in free space, that is we have not considered…
We model sympathetic cooling of ground-state CaF molecules by ultracold Li and Rb atoms. The molecules are moving in a microwave trap, while the atoms are trapped magnetically. We calculate the differential elastic cross sections for CaF-Li…
We examine the properties of a quantum reflection trap when particle-interaction is included. We explore the influence of the particle-interaction on the trapping for different regimes: repulsive particle-interaction and attractive…
We have used diffraction gratings to simplify the fabrication, and dramatically increase the atomic collection efficiency, of magneto-optical traps using micro-fabricated optics. The atom number enhancement was mainly due to the increased…
Understanding collisions between ultracold molecules is crucial for making stable molecular quantum gases and harnessing their rich internal degrees of freedom for quantum engineering. Transient complexes can strongly influence collisional…
Measurements of interactions between cold molecules and ultracold atoms can allow for a detailed understanding of fundamental collision processes. These measurements can be done using various experimental geometries including where both…
We present a quantum theory of a magneto-optical trap (MOT) from first principles based on the quantum kinetic equation for the atomic density matrix with taking into account the recoil effects caused by the interaction of atoms with the…
Efficient sub-Doppler laser cooling and optical trapping of YO molecules offer new opportunities to study collisional dynamics in the quantum regime. Confined in a crossed optical dipole trap, we achieve the highest phase-space density of…
We report on an investigation of loading characteristics of deep microscopic dipole traps. The dipole trap is loaded from a low density magneto optical trap (MOT) containing $\approx 5\times 10^{6}$ atoms. We determine the loading…
The optical properties of a fixed atom are well-known and investigated. For example, the extraordinarily large cross section of a single atom as seen by a resonant photon is essential for quantum optical applications. Mechanical effects…
We have computed ab inito cross sections for cold collisions of Rb atoms with OH radicals. We predict collision rate constants of order 10^{-11} cm^3/s at temperatures in the range 10-100 mK at which molecules have already been produced…
We experimentally demonstrate cooling of trapped ions by collisions with co-trapped, higher mass neutral atoms. It is shown that the lighter $^{39}$K$^{+}$ ions, created by ionizing $^{39}$K atoms in a magneto-optical trap (MOT), when…
Ultracold hybrid ion-atom traps offer the possibility of microscopic manipulation of quantum coherences in the gas using the ion as a probe. However, inelastic processes, particularly charge transfer can be a significant process of ion loss…
We have trapped cesium atoms over many minutes in the focus of a CO$_2$-laser beam employing an extremely simple laser system. Collisional properties of the unpolarized atoms in their electronic ground state are investigated. Inelastic…