Control of reactive collisions by quantum interference

Abstract

<jats:p> In this study, we achieved magnetic control of reactive scattering in an ultracold mixture of <jats:sup>23</jats:sup> Na atoms and <jats:sup>23</jats:sup> Na <jats:sup>6</jats:sup> Li molecules. In most molecular collisions, particles react or are lost near short range with unity probability, leading to the so-called universal rate. By contrast, the Na + NaLi system was shown to have only ~4% loss probability in a fully spin-polarized state. By controlling the phase of the scattering wave function via a Feshbach resonance, we modified the loss rate by more than a factor of 100, from far below to far above the universal limit. The results are explained in analogy with an optical Fabry-Perot resonator by interference of reflections at short and long range. Our work demonstrates quantum control of chemistry by magnetic fields with the full dynamic range predicted by our models. </jats:p>