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Physical Review Letters

Laser Trapping of Metastable H3e Atoms: Isotopic Difference in Cold Penning Collisions

M. Kumakura, Norio Morita

Published Apr 5, 1999• 28 citations
Publisher

Abstract

By confining ${}^{3}\mathrm{He}$ and ${}^{4}\mathrm{He}$ in their respective magneto-optical traps, ionization rate coefficients for Penning collisions between two cold $\mathrm{He}(2s^{3}S_{1})$ atoms have been measured. At 0.5 mK, the rate coefficients obtained are $(3.8\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.1)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}/\mathrm{s}$ for ${}^{4}\mathrm{He}$- ${}^{4}\mathrm{He}$ collisions and $(1.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.4)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}/\mathrm{s}$ for ${}^{3}\mathrm{He}$- ${}^{3}\mathrm{He}$, a difference of a factor of 3. Theoretical calculations have shown that such a large difference arises only when the lowest order partial wave alone contributes to the ionization, and that it is mainly due to the difference in the quantum statistical symmetry between ${}^{3}\mathrm{He}$ and ${}^{4}\mathrm{He}$.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.82.2848

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By confining 3He{}^{3}\mathrm{He}3He and 4He{}^{4}\mathrm{He}4He in their respective magneto-optical traps, ionization rate coefficients for Penning collisions between two cold He(2s3S1)\mathrm{He}(2s^{3}S_{1})He(2s3S1​) atoms have been measured. At 0.5 mK, the rate coefficients obtained are (3.8\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi1.1)\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi10\ensuremath−10cm3/s(3.8\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.1)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}/\mathrm{s}(3.8\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi1.1)\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi10\ensuremath−10cm3/s for 4He{}^{4}\mathrm{He}4He- 4He{}^{4}\mathrm{He}4He collisions and (1.1\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi0.4)\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi10\ensuremath−9cm3/s(1.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.4)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}/\mathrm{s}(1.1\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi0.4)\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi10\ensuremath−9cm3/s for 3He{}^{3}\mathrm{He}3He- 3He{}^{3}\mathrm{He}3He, a difference of a factor of 3. Theoretical calculations have shown that such a large difference arises only when the lowest order partial wave alone contributes to the ionization, and that it is mainly due to the difference in the quantum statistical symmetry between 3He{}^{3}\mathrm{He}3He and 4He{}^{4}\mathrm{He}4He.
About 10 4 triplet metastable helium atoms have been trapped in a magneto-optical trap, based on the 2 3 S 1 –2 3 P 2 transition at 1.083 μm (volume 0.1 mm 3 , temperature 1 mK). The losses of the trap are analysed by monitoring the ion current due to Penning collisions either with background gases, or between trapped atoms. The rate coefficient for these collisions between trapped metastable helium atoms has been found to be unusually large, and the crucial role of the quasi-resonant laser light has been experimentally demonstrated. The rate coefficient of the dominant process (He*(2 3 S 1 ) + He*(2 3 P 2 ) Penning collisions) has been measured by two different methods, and found to be K sp ≃ 10 -7 cm 3 s -1 within an estimated factor of 4. The corresponding cross-section is 6 · 10 6 Å 2 .
We have studied the optical collisions of cold, metastable helium atoms in a magneto-optical trap. We have detected the rate of Penning and associative ionization of two metastable helium atoms at a temperature of 1 mK with and without nearly resonant light. We find that the associative ionization rate is increased with more than a factor 20 due to the presence of the light field. We present a simple, semiclassical model, which accounts for all the observed features, and which agrees, also on an absolute scale, with our experimental results.
We present a theoretical and experimental investigation of homonuclear ionizing collisions of laser-cooled metastable (23S1)(2\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}^{3}S_{1})(23S1​) helium atoms, considering both the fermionic 3He^{3}\mathrm{He}3He and bosonic 4He^{4}\mathrm{He}4He isotopes. The theoretical description combines quantum threshold behavior, Wigner's spin-conservation rule, and quantum-statistical symmetry requirements in a single-channel model, complementing a more complete close-coupling theory that has been reported for collisions of metastable 4He^{4}\mathrm{He}4He atoms. The model is supported with measurements (in the absence of light fields) of ionization rates in magneto-optically trapped samples that contain about $3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{8}$ atoms of a single isotope. The ionization rates are determined from measurements of trap loss due to light-assisted collisions combined with comparative measurements of the ion production rate in the absence and presence of trapping light. Theory and experiment show good agreement.
We have investigated cold ionizing heteronuclear collisions in dilute mixtures of metastable (23S1)(2\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}^{3}S_{1})(23S1​) 3He^{3}\mathrm{He}3He and 4He^{4}\mathrm{He}4He atoms, extending our previous work on the analogous homonuclear collisions [R. J. W. Stas et al., Phys. Rev. A 73, 032713 (2006)]. A simple theoretical model of such collisions enables us to calculate the heteronuclear ionization rate coefficient, for our quasiunpolarized gas, in the absence of resonant light (T=1.2mK)(T=1.2\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mK})(T=1.2mK): ${K}_{34}^{(\mathrm{th})}=2.4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}∕\mathrm{s}$. This calculation is supported by a measurement of K34{K}_{34}K34​ using magneto-optically trapped mixtures containing about $1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{8}$ atoms of each species, ${K}_{34}^{(\mathrm{exp})}=2.5(8)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}∕\mathrm{s}$. Theory and experiment show good agreement.
We report loading of $1.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{9}$ metastable triplet helium atoms in a large magneto-optical trap, using far-red-detuned laser beams. We fully characterized this trap by measuring trap losses and absorption of a probe beam. From the highly nonexponential trap decay we derive Penning ionization loss rate coefficients for two detunings: $5.3(9)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}/\mathrm{s}$ at $\ensuremath{-}35\mathrm{MHz}$ and $3.7(6)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}/\mathrm{s}$ at $\ensuremath{-}44\mathrm{MHz}.$ Also, we find that the loss rate is maximum at $\ensuremath{-}5\mathrm{MHz}$ detuning, where the rate is $1.3(3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}/\mathrm{s},$ much larger than recent theoretical and experimental values. In the absence of light the $S\ensuremath{-}S$ ionization rate constant is measured to be $1.3(2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}/\mathrm{s}.$
A quantum-reflection model is employed to calculate the rate coefficient for the Penning ionization of rubidium by cold metastable helium atoms in unpolarized collisions. Various results for the p-wave transmission coefficient on a 1/R-6 long-range potential are discussed. The dispersion coefficient for the interaction of these atoms is estimated as 3540 au. The calculated value of the rate coefficient is about four times lower than the recently measured value (Byron et al 2010a Phys. Rev. A 81 013405) for this process when both atoms are held in magneto-optical traps.