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Physical Review Letters

Collisions of Doubly Spin-Polarized, Ultracold 85Rb Atoms

Jamie Ryan Gardner, Robert A. Cline, Joseph D. Miller, Daniel J. Heinzen, H. M. J. M. Boesten, BOUDEWIJN J. VERHAAR

Published May 8, 1995• 134 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We study the collisions of doubly spin-polarized ${}^{85}\mathrm{Rb}$ atoms at millikelvin temperatures using photoassociation spectroscopy. Because the atoms are spin polarized, only triplet collisional states are formed. This leads to photoassociation spectra of a particularly simple form, which provide a very direct probe of the ground state collision. These spectra are analyzed to yield the ground state triplet scattering length ${\ensuremath{-}1000a}_{0}<{a}_{T}<{\ensuremath{-}60a}_{0}$ for ${}^{85}\mathrm{Rb}$, ${+85a}_{0}<{a}_{T}<{+140a}_{0}$ for ${}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$, and the product of the $D$-line dipole matrix elements $d({P}_{1/2})d({P}_{3/2})\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}8.75\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.25$ a.u.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.74.3764

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We study the collisions of doubly spin-polarized 85Rb{}^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb atoms at millikelvin temperatures using photoassociation spectroscopy. Because the atoms are spin polarized, only triplet collisional states are formed. This leads to photoassociation spectra of a particularly simple form, which provide a very direct probe of the ground state collision. These spectra are analyzed to yield the ground state triplet scattering length \ensuremath−1000a0<aT<\ensuremath−60a0{\ensuremath{-}1000a}_{0}<{a}_{T}<{\ensuremath{-}60a}_{0}\ensuremath−1000a0​<aT​<\ensuremath−60a0​ for 85Rb{}^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb, +85a0<aT<+140a0{+85a}_{0}<{a}_{T}<{+140a}_{0}+85a0​<aT​<+140a0​ for 87Rb{}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb, and the product of the DDD-line dipole matrix elements d(P1/2)d(P3/2)=8.75\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi0.25d({P}_{1/2})d({P}_{3/2})\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}8.75\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.25d(P1/2​)d(P3/2​)=8.75\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi0.25 a.u.
We observe a shape resonance in the scattering of two ultracold 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb atoms, causing the colliding atoms to form a long-living compound system inside an l=2 centrifugal barrier. Its existence follows from a photoassociation experiment in a gas sample of doubly polarized 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb atoms. Using it we are able to carry out direct determinations of the triplet scattering length for 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb, relevant to Bose-Einstein condensation experiments, and of the Rb+Rb C6{\mathrm{C}}_{6}C6​ dispersion coefficient. Consequences for the 85Rb^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb scattering length are discussed.
Two-photon photoassociation of colliding ultracold 7{}^{7}7Li atoms is used to probe the $^{3}\ensuremath{\Sigma}_{u}^{+}(a)$ ground state of 7{}^{7}7Li2{\mathrm{i}}_{2}i2​. The binding energy of the least-bound state of this triplet potential, $\ensuremath{\upsilon}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}10$, is found to be $12.47\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.04$ GHz. This spectroscopic information establishes that the sss-wave scattering length for 7{}^{7}7Li atoms in the F=2F\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}2F=2, mF=2{m}_{F}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}2mF​=2 state is $(\ensuremath{-}27.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.8){a}_{0}$. The negative sign of the scattering length has important implications as to whether atoms at this doubly spin-polarized state can undergo a Bose-Einstein condensation.
Two-photon photoassociation of colliding ultracold 7{}^{7}7Li atoms is used to probe the $^{3}\ensuremath{\Sigma}_{u}^{+}(a)$ ground state of 7{}^{7}7Li2{\mathrm{i}}_{2}i2​. The binding energy of the least-bound state of this triplet potential, $\ensuremath{\upsilon}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}10$, is found to be $12.47\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.04$ GHz. This spectroscopic information establishes that the sss-wave scattering length for 7{}^{7}7Li atoms in the F=2F\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}2F=2, mF=2{m}_{F}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}2mF​=2 state is $(\ensuremath{-}27.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.8){a}_{0}$. The negative sign of the scattering length has important implications as to whether atoms at this doubly spin-polarized state can undergo a Bose-Einstein condensation.
We study the photoassociative collisional loss of laser-cooled Rb atoms from a far-off resonance optical dipole force atom trap. We obtain a well-resolved photoassociation spectrum from 50 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ to 980 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ below the first excited dissociation limit of the Rb2{\mathrm{Rb}}_{2}Rb2​ molecule. Two vibrational series associated with excited Rb2{\mathrm{Rb}}_{2}Rb2​ $^{3}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{\mathit{g}}^{+}$ states are clearly visible. Oscillations in the associated Franck-Condon factors reflect the structure of the triplet ground state wave function. Our results clearly demonstrate the potential of photoassociation spectroscopy as a new probe of molecular structure.
Ultracold collisions between Cs atoms and Cs2{\mathrm{Cs}}_{2}Cs2​ dimers in the electronic ground state are observed in an optically trapped gas of atoms and molecules. The Cs2{\mathrm{Cs}}_{2}Cs2​ molecules are formed in the triplet ground state by cw photoassociation through the outer well of the ${0}_{g}^{\ensuremath{-}}({P}_{3/2})$ excited electronic state. Inelastic atom-molecule collisions converting internal excitation into kinetic energy lead to a loss of Cs2{\mathrm{Cs}}_{2}Cs2​ molecules from the dipole trap. Rate coefficients are determined for collisions involving Cs atoms in either the F=3F=3F=3 or F=4F=4F=4 hyperfine ground state, and Cs2{\mathrm{Cs}}_{2}Cs2​ molecules in either highly vibrationally excited states (${v}^{\ensuremath{'}}=32--47$) or in low vibrational states (${v}^{\ensuremath{'}}=4--6$) of the $a\text{ }^{3}\ensuremath{\Sigma}_{u}^{+}$ triplet ground state. The rate coefficients $\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\sim}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}/\mathrm{s}$ are found to be largely independent of the vibrational and rotational excitation indicating unitary limited cross sections.