Large spin relaxation rates in trapped submerged-shell atoms

Author(s)
Connolly, Colin B.; Au, Yat Shan; Doret, S. Charles; Ketterle, Wolfgang; Doyle, John M.
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Abstract
Spin relaxation due to atom–atom collisions is measured for magnetically trapped erbium and thulium atoms at a temperature near 500 mK. The rate constants for Er–Er and Tm–Tm collisions are 3.0×10[superscript -10] and 1.1×10[superscript -10] cm[superscript 3] s[superscript -1], respectively, 2–3 orders of magnitude larger than those observed for highly magnetic S-state atoms. This is strong evidence for an additional, dominant, spin relaxation mechanism, electronic interaction anisotropy, in collisions between these “submerged-shell,” L≠0 atoms. These large spin relaxation rates imply that evaporative cooling of these atoms in a magnetic trap will be highly inefficient.
Date issued
2010-01
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/56256
Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics; MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms
Journal
Physical Review A
Publisher
American Physical Society
Citation
Connolly, Colin B. et al. “Large spin relaxation rates in trapped submerged-shell atoms.” Physical Review A 81.1 (2010): 010702. © 2010 The American Physical Society
Version: Final published version
ISSN
1050-2947
1094-1622
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