Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Physical Review A

Collisions of spin-polarized atoms and ions in magnetic fields

Wolfgang Jitschin, S. Osimitsch, Hans O. Lutz

Published Nov 1, 1988• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Collision experiments employing a preparation and/or an analysis of spin polarization provide a powerful tool to study individual interaction mechanisms. For atoms or ions with nonvanishing nuclear moments the hyperfine interaction before and after the collision may affect the spin polarization and any collision-induced orientation and alignment, thereby substantially reducing experimentally observable effects. This disturbance can be avoided by applying an external magnetic field, as is demonstrated here for the inelastic collision process ${\mathrm{He}}^{+}$+Na(\ensuremath{\uparrow}) \ensuremath{\rightarrow}${\mathrm{He}}^{+}$+${\mathrm{Na}}^{\mathrm{*}}$(3p). Easily attainable magnetic field strengths are sufficient to decouple electronic and nuclear spins whereby the figure of merit for both, orientation and alignment, is increased by more than one order of magnitude.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.38.4872

Related papers

Electron Spin Exchange in Atomic Collisions

Gary M. Carter, David E. Pritchard

We consider electron spin-exchange collisions between an atom with an electron spin of \textonehalf{} and a target atom with an arbitrary electron spin. The cross sections that describe the collision are expressed in terms of generalized direct and exchange amplitudes and are shown to depend only on the electron spin, polarization, and alignment of the target atom. We include the effects of an external magnetic field and the nuclear spin of the spin-\textonehalf{} atom on the collision. We calculate the cross sections connecting the initial and final states of the free Hamiltonian describing the spin-\textonehalf{} atom, with analytic results being displayed for the two limiting cases of the external magnetic field. For the general case, graphical results are presented for several common values of nuclear spin that allow the cross sections to be evaluated for arbitrary magnetic fields. The results are applied to several situations of current interest.

Physical Review A•Mar 1, 1972•2 citations

Spin exchange in the excitation of spin-polarized Na atoms by Ne+ -ion impact

Wolfgang Jitschin, S. Osimitsch, H Reihl +3 more

The 3s-3p excitation of spin-polarized Na atoms by ${\mathrm{Ne}}^{+}$ ions has been studied for impact energies ${E}_{\mathrm{lab}=200}$ eV to 6 keV, i.e., in the adiabatic regime. The total excitation cross section and the three Stokes polarization parameters of the fluorescence light have been measured. The linear polarization of the light shows a preferential excitation of the \ensuremath{\Vert}${m}_{l}$\ensuremath{\Vert}=1 magnetic substates. The circular polarization probes the spin orientation of the excited 3p state. At the highest impact energies investigated the experimental data are compatible with conservation of spin orientation during the collision. With decreasing impact energy, the spin polarization of the final 3p state becomes smaller than the spin polarization of the initial 3s state. This apparent spin depolarization is attributed to the exchange interaction between the Na valence electron and the unfilled ${\mathrm{Ne}}^{+}$ 2${p}^{5}$ core in the quasimolecule formed during the collision.

Physical Review A•Nov 1, 1986•19 citations

Spin controlled atom-ion inelastic collisions

Tomáš Šikorský, Ziv Meir, Ruti Ben-shlomi +2 more

The control of the ultracold collisions between neutral atoms is an extensive and successful field of study. The tools developed allow for ultracold chemical reactions to be managed using magnetic fields, light fields and spin-state manipulation of the colliding particles among other methods. The control of chemical reactions in ultracold atom-ion collisions is a young and growing field of research. Recently, the collision energy and the ion electronic state were used to control atom-ion interactions. Here, we demonstrate spin-controlled atom-ion inelastic processes. In our experiment, both spin-exchange and charge-exchange reactions are controlled in an ultracold Rb-Sr$^+$ mixture by the atomic spin state. We prepare a cloud of atoms in a single hyperfine spin-state. Spin-exchange collisions between atoms and ion subsequently polarize the ion spin. Electron transfer is only allowed for (RbSr)$^+$ colliding in the singlet manifold. Initializing the atoms in various spin states affects the overlap of the collision wavefunction with the singlet molecular manifold and therefore also the reaction rate. We experimentally show that by preparing the atoms in different spin states one can vary the charge-exchange rate in agreement with theoretical predictions.

arXiv:1709.00775•Sep 3, 2017•2 citations

The role of the Pauli principle in spin exchange collisions

M. Pinard, Franck Laloë

The effect of spin exchange collisions on the internal variables (orientation, alignment, etc.) of colliding atoms is discussed, with particular emphasis on the role played by the Pauli principle. The calculation presented is valid for distinguishable or identical particles, and the initial introduction of an effective exchange hamiltonian for the spins is avoided. The one-atom density matrix of the internal variables is calculated after collision, in an operatorial form which enables the discussion of various physical effects. The first term in the density matrix evolution is a transfer term which does not originate from particle indistinguishability. The following terms are indeed introduced by the Pauli antisymmetrization principle applied to electrons and nuclei, and they can be described as electronic or nuclear apparent magnetic field (or electric gradient). In addition, terms arising from the combined exchange of electrons and nuclei are obtained, in particular from the exchange of identical whole atoms (bosons in the case of hydrogen). The evolution equations for the density operators are applied to a few particular cases in order to evaluate spin exchange effects in various situations : weak or strong hyperfine decoupling, Zeeman or hyperfine resonances, etc...

Journal de physique•Jan 1, 1980•8 citations

Theory of the polarization dependence of reactive collisions and its application to the associative ionization process 2Na(3 P3/22 )→ Na2 + (X 2 Σg+ )+ e−

Dumont M. Jones, John S. Dahler

We consider collisions between (quasi-) one- or two-electron atoms, each of which has been prepared in a fixed distribution of hyperfine magnetic substates. The resulting ``polarization-dependent'' reaction rates are functions of (1) the (experimentally adjustable) orientation of the quantization axis associated with the hyperfine substates, (2) the hyperfine terms of the colliding atoms, and (3) the detailed reaction dynamics as characterized by preparation- and fine-structure-independent cross sections. These effects are deconvoluted and analyzed, and their use in elucidating reaction mechanisms is discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on the associative ionization of two Na(3p) atoms, each prepared by adsorption of resonant laser photons. The quasimolecular states of Na...Na that might react in this case are limited by selection rules. More information on the reaction mechanism is then obtained by using experimental data, in combination with the formal analysis, to draw further conclusions about the active quasimolecular states.

Physical Review A•May 1, 1987•16 citations

Ion-Atom Cold Collisions and Atomic Clocks

John D. Prestage, Lute Maleki, Robert L. Tjoelker

Collisions between ultracold neutral atoms have for some time been the subject of investigation, initially with hydrogen and more recently with laser cooled alkali atoms. Advances in laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms in a Magneto-Optic Trap (MOT) have made cold atoms available as the starting point for many laser cooled atomic physics investigations. The most spectacularly successful of these, the observation of Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC) in a dilute ultra-cold spin polarized atomic vapor, has accelerated the study of cold collisions. Experimental and theoretical studies of BEC and the long range interaction between cold alkali atoms is at the boundary of atomic and low temperature physics. Such studies have been difficult and would not have been possible without the development and advancement of laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms. By contrast, ion-atom interactions at low temperature, also very difficult to study prior to modern day laser cooling, have remained largely unexplored. But now, many laboratories worldwide have almost routine access to cold neutral atoms. The combined technologies of ion trapping, together with laser cooling of neutrals has made these studies experimentally feasible and several very important, novel applications might come out of such investigations . This paper is an investigation of ion-atom interactions in the cold and ultra-cold temperature regime. Some of the collisional ion-atom interactions present at room temperature are very much reduced in the low temperature regime. Reaction rates for charge transfer between unlike atoms, A + B(+) approaches A(+) + B, are expected to fall rapidly with temperature, approximately as T(sup 5/2). Thus, cold mixtures of atoms and ions are expected to coexist for very long times, unlike room temperature mixtures of the same ion-atom combination. Thus, it seems feasible to cool ions via collisions with laser cooled atoms. Many of the conventional collisional interactions, exploited as a useful tool at room temperature and higher, are greatly enhanced at low energy. For example, collisional spin transfer from one species of polarized atoms to another has long been a useful method for polarizing a sample of atoms where no other means was available. Because optical pumping cannot be used to polarize the nuclear spin of Xe-129 or He-3 (for use in nmr imaging of the lungs), the nuclear spins are polarized via collisions with an optically pumped Rb vapor in a cell containing both gases. In another case, a spin polarized thermal Cs beam was used to polarize the hyperfine states of trapped He(+)-3 ions in order to measure their hyperfine clock transition frequency. The absence of an x-ray light source to optically pump the ground state of the He(+)-3 ion necessitated this alternative state preparation. Similarly, Cd(+) and Sr(+) ions were spin-oriented via collisions in a cell with optically pumped Rb vapor. Resonant RF spin changing transitions in the ground state of the ions were detected by changes in the Rb resonance light absorption. Because cold collision spin exchange rates scale with temperature as T(sup -1/2) this technique is expected to be a far more powerful tool than the room temperature counterpart. This factor of 100 or more enhancement in spin exchange reaction rates at low temperatures is the basis for a novel trapped ion clock where laser cooled neutrals will cool, state select and monitor the ion clock transition. The advantage over conventional direct laser cooling of trapped ions is that the very expensive and cumbersome UV laser light sources, required to excite the ionic cooling transition, are effectively replaced by simple diode lasers.

•Aug 1, 1997•0 citations
Collision experiments employing a preparation and/or an analysis of spin polarization provide a powerful tool to study individual interaction mechanisms. For atoms or ions with nonvanishing nuclear moments the hyperfine interaction before and after the collision may affect the spin polarization and any collision-induced orientation and alignment, thereby substantially reducing experimentally observable effects. This disturbance can be avoided by applying an external magnetic field, as is demonstrated here for the inelastic collision process He+{\mathrm{He}}^{+}He++Na(\ensuremath{\uparrow}) \ensuremath{\rightarrow}He+{\mathrm{He}}^{+}He++Na∗{\mathrm{Na}}^{\mathrm{*}}Na∗(3p). Easily attainable magnetic field strengths are sufficient to decouple electronic and nuclear spins whereby the figure of merit for both, orientation and alignment, is increased by more than one order of magnitude.
We consider electron spin-exchange collisions between an atom with an electron spin of \textonehalf{} and a target atom with an arbitrary electron spin. The cross sections that describe the collision are expressed in terms of generalized direct and exchange amplitudes and are shown to depend only on the electron spin, polarization, and alignment of the target atom. We include the effects of an external magnetic field and the nuclear spin of the spin-\textonehalf{} atom on the collision. We calculate the cross sections connecting the initial and final states of the free Hamiltonian describing the spin-\textonehalf{} atom, with analytic results being displayed for the two limiting cases of the external magnetic field. For the general case, graphical results are presented for several common values of nuclear spin that allow the cross sections to be evaluated for arbitrary magnetic fields. The results are applied to several situations of current interest.
The 3s-3p excitation of spin-polarized Na atoms by Ne+{\mathrm{Ne}}^{+}Ne+ ions has been studied for impact energies Elab=200{E}_{\mathrm{lab}=200}Elab=200​ eV to 6 keV, i.e., in the adiabatic regime. The total excitation cross section and the three Stokes polarization parameters of the fluorescence light have been measured. The linear polarization of the light shows a preferential excitation of the \ensuremath{\Vert}ml{m}_{l}ml​\ensuremath{\Vert}=1 magnetic substates. The circular polarization probes the spin orientation of the excited 3p state. At the highest impact energies investigated the experimental data are compatible with conservation of spin orientation during the collision. With decreasing impact energy, the spin polarization of the final 3p state becomes smaller than the spin polarization of the initial 3s state. This apparent spin depolarization is attributed to the exchange interaction between the Na valence electron and the unfilled Ne+{\mathrm{Ne}}^{+}Ne+ 2p5{p}^{5}p5 core in the quasimolecule formed during the collision.
The control of the ultracold collisions between neutral atoms is an extensive and successful field of study. The tools developed allow for ultracold chemical reactions to be managed using magnetic fields, light fields and spin-state manipulation of the colliding particles among other methods. The control of chemical reactions in ultracold atom-ion collisions is a young and growing field of research. Recently, the collision energy and the ion electronic state were used to control atom-ion interactions. Here, we demonstrate spin-controlled atom-ion inelastic processes. In our experiment, both spin-exchange and charge-exchange reactions are controlled in an ultracold Rb-Sr+^++ mixture by the atomic spin state. We prepare a cloud of atoms in a single hyperfine spin-state. Spin-exchange collisions between atoms and ion subsequently polarize the ion spin. Electron transfer is only allowed for (RbSr)+^++ colliding in the singlet manifold. Initializing the atoms in various spin states affects the overlap of the collision wavefunction with the singlet molecular manifold and therefore also the reaction rate. We experimentally show that by preparing the atoms in different spin states one can vary the charge-exchange rate in agreement with theoretical predictions.
The effect of spin exchange collisions on the internal variables (orientation, alignment, etc.) of colliding atoms is discussed, with particular emphasis on the role played by the Pauli principle. The calculation presented is valid for distinguishable or identical particles, and the initial introduction of an effective exchange hamiltonian for the spins is avoided. The one-atom density matrix of the internal variables is calculated after collision, in an operatorial form which enables the discussion of various physical effects. The first term in the density matrix evolution is a transfer term which does not originate from particle indistinguishability. The following terms are indeed introduced by the Pauli antisymmetrization principle applied to electrons and nuclei, and they can be described as electronic or nuclear apparent magnetic field (or electric gradient). In addition, terms arising from the combined exchange of electrons and nuclei are obtained, in particular from the exchange of identical whole atoms (bosons in the case of hydrogen). The evolution equations for the density operators are applied to a few particular cases in order to evaluate spin exchange effects in various situations : weak or strong hyperfine decoupling, Zeeman or hyperfine resonances, etc...
We consider collisions between (quasi-) one- or two-electron atoms, each of which has been prepared in a fixed distribution of hyperfine magnetic substates. The resulting ``polarization-dependent'' reaction rates are functions of (1) the (experimentally adjustable) orientation of the quantization axis associated with the hyperfine substates, (2) the hyperfine terms of the colliding atoms, and (3) the detailed reaction dynamics as characterized by preparation- and fine-structure-independent cross sections. These effects are deconvoluted and analyzed, and their use in elucidating reaction mechanisms is discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on the associative ionization of two Na(3p) atoms, each prepared by adsorption of resonant laser photons. The quasimolecular states of Na...Na that might react in this case are limited by selection rules. More information on the reaction mechanism is then obtained by using experimental data, in combination with the formal analysis, to draw further conclusions about the active quasimolecular states.
Collisions between ultracold neutral atoms have for some time been the subject of investigation, initially with hydrogen and more recently with laser cooled alkali atoms. Advances in laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms in a Magneto-Optic Trap (MOT) have made cold atoms available as the starting point for many laser cooled atomic physics investigations. The most spectacularly successful of these, the observation of Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC) in a dilute ultra-cold spin polarized atomic vapor, has accelerated the study of cold collisions. Experimental and theoretical studies of BEC and the long range interaction between cold alkali atoms is at the boundary of atomic and low temperature physics. Such studies have been difficult and would not have been possible without the development and advancement of laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms. By contrast, ion-atom interactions at low temperature, also very difficult to study prior to modern day laser cooling, have remained largely unexplored. But now, many laboratories worldwide have almost routine access to cold neutral atoms. The combined technologies of ion trapping, together with laser cooling of neutrals has made these studies experimentally feasible and several very important, novel applications might come out of such investigations . This paper is an investigation of ion-atom interactions in the cold and ultra-cold temperature regime. Some of the collisional ion-atom interactions present at room temperature are very much reduced in the low temperature regime. Reaction rates for charge transfer between unlike atoms, A + B(+) approaches A(+) + B, are expected to fall rapidly with temperature, approximately as T(sup 5/2). Thus, cold mixtures of atoms and ions are expected to coexist for very long times, unlike room temperature mixtures of the same ion-atom combination. Thus, it seems feasible to cool ions via collisions with laser cooled atoms. Many of the conventional collisional interactions, exploited as a useful tool at room temperature and higher, are greatly enhanced at low energy. For example, collisional spin transfer from one species of polarized atoms to another has long been a useful method for polarizing a sample of atoms where no other means was available. Because optical pumping cannot be used to polarize the nuclear spin of Xe-129 or He-3 (for use in nmr imaging of the lungs), the nuclear spins are polarized via collisions with an optically pumped Rb vapor in a cell containing both gases. In another case, a spin polarized thermal Cs beam was used to polarize the hyperfine states of trapped He(+)-3 ions in order to measure their hyperfine clock transition frequency. The absence of an x-ray light source to optically pump the ground state of the He(+)-3 ion necessitated this alternative state preparation. Similarly, Cd(+) and Sr(+) ions were spin-oriented via collisions in a cell with optically pumped Rb vapor. Resonant RF spin changing transitions in the ground state of the ions were detected by changes in the Rb resonance light absorption. Because cold collision spin exchange rates scale with temperature as T(sup -1/2) this technique is expected to be a far more powerful tool than the room temperature counterpart. This factor of 100 or more enhancement in spin exchange reaction rates at low temperatures is the basis for a novel trapped ion clock where laser cooled neutrals will cool, state select and monitor the ion clock transition. The advantage over conventional direct laser cooling of trapped ions is that the very expensive and cumbersome UV laser light sources, required to excite the ionic cooling transition, are effectively replaced by simple diode lasers.