Based on an accurate determination of the potential energy surfaces of Rb 3 + correlated to its first asymptotic limit Rb + + Rb ( 5 s ) + Rb ( 5 s ) , we identify the presence of intersections of a pair of singlet and triplet surfaces over all interparticle distances, leading to Jahn-Teller (JT) couplings. We elaborate scenarios for charge exchange between ultracold charged atom-dimer complex ( Rb + Rb 2 + or Rb + + Rb 2 ), predicting a strong selectivity on the preparation of the initial state of the dimer. We also demonstrate that the JT couplings must drive the three-body recombination (TBR) of Rb + , Rb, and Rb at ultracold energies. Using the current analysis, we provide a consistent picture of the TBR experiments performed in ion-atom hybrid Rb samples. We also demonstrate the presence of JT coupling as a general phenomenon in the singly charged homonuclear alkali triatomic systems. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
The study of Efimov features and their relationships in
40K-
87Rb Mixtures has generated extensive discussion, yet the discrepancy between Efimov universality predictions based on the zero-range approximation and experimental observations remains unresolved. In this study, we investigate the three-body collision properties with
J=0 symmetry for a
87Rb-
87Rb-
40K system on both sides of Rb-K scattering length to understand the mechanisms underlying this discrepancy. Our approach employs the R-matrix propagation method within a hyperspherical coordinate frame, utilizing the Lennard-Jones model potential to describe atom interactions. We predicts the existence of three-body shape resonances at large negative Rb-K scattering lengths, which leads to the enhancement of three-body recombination rates. On the positive Rb-K scattering length side, we find an Efimov recombination minimum beyond the range of previous measurements. These Efimov features, combined with experimental observations of the atom-dimer Efimov resonance, offer an opportunity to test the universality of Efimov features. Our study demonstrates the influence of finite-range effects and non-resonant intraspecies scattering length in
40K-
87Rb mixtures, providing valuable insights into the universal relations between Efimov features in heteronuclear systems.
We report on three-body recombination of a single trapped Rb(+) ion and two neutral Rb atoms in an ultracold atom cloud. We observe that the corresponding rate coefficient K(3) depends on collision energy and is about a factor of 1000 larger than for three colliding neutral Rb atoms. In the three-body recombination process large energies up to several 0.1 eV are released leading to an ejection of the ion from the atom cloud. It is sympathetically recooled back into the cloud via elastic binary collisions with cold atoms. Further, we find that the final ionic product of the three-body processes is again an atomic Rb(+) ion suggesting that the ion merely acts as a catalyzer, possibly in the formation of deeply bound Rb(2) molecules.