Universal relations for ultracold reactive molecules

Constantinos Makrides, Svetlana Kotochigova, A. Petrov

Goulven Quéméner, John L. Bohn, Alexander A. Petrov +1 more

Don Monroe

Mingyuan He, Chenwei Lv, Hai‐Qing Lin +1 more

The realization of ultracold polar molecules in laboratories has pushed physics and chemistry to new realms. In particular, these polar molecules offer scientists unprecedented opportunities to explore chemical reactions in the ultracold regime where quantum effects become profound. However, a key question about how two-body losses depend on quantum correlations in interacting many-body systems remains open so far. Here, we present a number of universal relations that directly connect two-body losses to other physical observables, including the momentum distribution and density correlation functions. These relations, which are valid for arbitrary microscopic parameters, such as the particle number, the temperature, and the interaction strength, unfold the critical role of contacts, a fundamental quantity of dilute quantum systems, in determining the reaction rate of quantum reactive molecules in a many-body environment. Our work opens the door to an unexplored area intertwining quantum chemistry; atomic, molecular, and optical physics; and condensed matter physics.

Paul S. Julienne, Thomas M. Hanna, Zbigniew Idziaszek

Universal collision rate constants are calculated for ultracold collisions of two like bosonic or fermionic heteronuclear alkali-metal dimers involving the species Li, Na, K, Rb, or Cs. Universal collisions are those for which the short range probability of a reactive or quenching collision is unity such that a collision removes a pair of molecules from the sample. In this case, the collision rates are determined by universal quantum dynamics at very long range compared to the chemical bond length. We calculate the universal rate constants for reaction of the reactive dimers in their ground vibrational state v = 0 and for vibrational quenching of non-reactive dimers with v ≥ 1. Using the known dipole moments and estimated van der Waals coefficients of each species, we calculate electric field dependent loss rate constants for collisions of molecules tightly confined to quasi-two-dimensional geometry by a one-dimensional optical lattice. A simple scaling relation of the quasi-two-dimensional loss rate constants with dipole strength, trap frequency and collision energy is given for like bosons or like fermions. It should be possible to stabilize ultracold dimers of any of these species against destructive collisions by confining them in a lattice and orienting them with an electric field of less than 20 kV cm(-1).

Françoise Masnou-Seeuws, P. Pillet