Theory of atomic collisions at ultracold temperatures

Jesús Pérez‐Ríos

Paul S. Julienne

Ultracold collisions of neutral atoms can now be studied in the laboratory in the temperature range below 0.001 K. Rate coefficients for ultracold collisions of excited states are decreased by spontaneous emission during the long duration of the collision, but can be dramatically modified by intense laser effects on collision dynamics. Generalized MCQDT is used to develop criteria for the onset of quantum threshold behavior, which generally begins at temperatures above the Doppler cooling limit of light traps. Threshold Penning ionization of He metastable atoms in a light trap is predicted to occur with a rate coefficient larger than 5×10 (−11) cm3/sec.

Paul S. Julienne, Kevin C. Jones, Paul D. Lett +4 more

Brandon Ruzic

New experimental techniques have increased the scope of atomic and molecular control at ultracold temperatures. To understand molecular collisions and collisions between atoms with large electronic spin, we extend multichannel quantum defect theory to describe scattering in the case of high-partial-wave angular momentum and long-range anisotropic interactions. The efficiency and accuracy of these calculations facilitate the prediction and characterization of Fano-Feshbach resonances.

Chun-Cheng Tsao, Yinde Wang, J. Weiner +1 more

P. L. Gould