Lanthanide atoms have an unusual electron configuration, with a partially filled shell of $f$ orbitals. This leads to a set of characteristic properties that enable enhanced control over ultracold atoms and their interactions: large numbers of optical transitions with widely varying wavelengths and transition strengths, anisotropic interaction properties between atoms and with light, and a large magnetic moment and spin space present in the ground state. These features in turn enable applications ranging from narrow-line laser cooling and spin manipulation to evaporative cooling through universal dipolar scattering, to the observation of a rotonic dispersion relation, self-bound liquid-like droplets stabilized by quantum fluctuations, and supersolid states. In this short review, we describe how the unusual level structure of lanthanide atoms leads to these key features, and provide a brief and necessarily partial overview of experimental progress in this rapidly developing field.Lanthanide atoms have an unusual electron configuration, with a partially filled shell of $f$ orbitals. This leads to a set of characteristic properties that enable enhanced control over ultracold atoms and their interactions: large numbers of optical transitions with widely varying wavelengths and transition strengths, anisotropic interaction properties between atoms and with light, and a large magnetic moment and spin space present in the ground state. These features in turn enable applications ranging from narrow-line laser cooling and spin manipulation to evaporative cooling through universal dipolar scattering, to the observation of a rotonic dispersion relation, self-bound liquid-like droplets stabilized by quantum fluctuations, and supersolid states. In this short review, we describe how the unusual level structure of lanthanide atoms leads to these key features, and provide a brief and necessarily partial overview of experimental progress in this rapidly developing field.

arXiv:2108.04491Aug 10, 20213 citations

Engineering Strongly Correlated Magnetic States with Ultracold Atoms

V. W. Scarola

Bulletin of the American Physical SocietyJun 11, 20150 citations

Magnetic moments of lanthanide van der Waals dimers

Joseph McCann, John L. Bohn, Lucie D. Augustovičová

Loosely bound van der Waals dimers of lanthanide atoms, as might be obtained in ultracold atom experiments, are investigated. These molecules are known to exhibit a degree of quantum chaos due to the strong anisotropic mixing of their angular spin and rotation degrees of freedom. Within a model of these molecules, we identify different realms of this anisotropic mixing, depending on whether the spin, the rotation, or both are significantly mixed by the anisotropy. These realms are in turn generally correlated with the resulting magnetic moments of the states.Loosely bound van der Waals dimers of lanthanide atoms, as might be obtained in ultracold atom experiments, are investigated. These molecules are known to exhibit a degree of quantum chaos due to the strong anisotropic mixing of their angular spin and rotation degrees of freedom. Within a model of these molecules, we identify different realms of this anisotropic mixing, depending on whether the spin, the rotation, or both are significantly mixed by the anisotropy. These realms are in turn generally correlated with the resulting magnetic moments of the states.

arXiv:2102.02146Physical Review AApr 15, 20212 citations

Factor of 1000 suppression of the depolarization rate in ultracold thulium collisions

I. A. Pyrkh, A. E. Rudnev, D. A. Kumpilov +10 more

Lanthanides are nowadays extensively used to investigate the properties of strongly correlated matter. Nevertheless, exploiting the Zeeman manifold of a lanthanide atom ground state is challenging due to the unavoidable presence of depolarization collisions. Here, we demonstrate that in the case of the thulium atom, it is possible to suppress this depolarization by a factor of 1000 with a carefully tuned magnetic field, thus opening the way for the efficient use of the Zeeman manifold in quantum simulations.Lanthanides are nowadays extensively used to investigate the properties of strongly correlated matter. Nevertheless, exploiting the Zeeman manifold of a lanthanide atom ground state is challenging due to the unavoidable presence of depolarization collisions. Here, we demonstrate that in the case of the thulium atom, it is possible to suppress this depolarization by a factor of 1000 with a carefully tuned magnetic field, thus opening the way for the efficient use of the Zeeman manifold in quantum simulations.

arXiv:2505.21164Physical Review ResearchFeb 2, 20260 citations

Lanthanide atoms have an unusual electron configuration, with a partially filled shell of

f

orbitals. This leads to a set of characteristic properties that enable enhanced control over ultracold atoms and their interactions: large numbers of optical transitions with widely varying wavelengths and transition strengths, anisotropic interaction properties between atoms and with light, and a large magnetic moment and spin space present in the ground state. These features in turn enable applications ranging from narrow-line laser cooling and spin manipulation to evaporative cooling through universal dipolar scattering, to the observation of a rotonic dispersion relation, self-bound liquid-like droplets stabilized by quantum fluctuations, and supersolid states. In this short review, we describe how the unusual level structure of lanthanide atoms leads to these key features, and provide a brief and necessarily partial overview of experimental progress in this rapidly developing field.