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

arXiv:cond-mat/0006017 · Physical Review A

Atom loss and the formation of a molecular Bose-Einstein condensate by Feshbach resonance

Vladimir Yurovsky, A. Ben‐Reuven, Paul S. Julienne, Carl J. Williams

Published Sep 13, 2000• 54 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

In experiments conducted recently at MIT on Na Bose-Einstein condensates [S. Inouye et al., Nature (London) 392, 151 (1998); J. Stenger et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 2422 (1999)], large loss rates were observed when a time-varying magnetic field was used to tune a molecular Feshbach resonance state near the state of a pair of atoms in the condensate. A collisional deactivation mechanism affecting a temporarily formed molecular condensate [see V. A. Yurovsky, A. Ben-Reuven, P. S. Julienne and C. J. Williams, Phys. Rev. A 60, R765 (1999)], studied here in more detail, accounts for the results of the slow-sweep experiments. A best fit to the MIT data yields a rate coefficient for deactivating atom-molecule collisions of $1.6\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10} {\mathrm{cm}}^{3}/\mathrm{s}.$ In the case of the fast-sweep experiment, a study is carried out of the combined effect of two competing mechanisms, the three-atom (atom-molecule) or four-atom (molecule-molecule) collisional deactivation versus a process of two-atom trap-state excitation by curve crossing [F. H. Mies, P. S. Julienne, and E. Tiesinga, Phys. Rev. A 61, 022721 (2000)]. It is shown that both mechanisms contribute to the loss comparably and nonadditively.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.62.043605

Related papers

Atom loss from Bose-Einstein condensates due to Feshbach resonance

Vladimir Yurovsky, A. Ben‐Reuven, Paul S. Julienne +1 more

In recent experiments on Na Bose-Einstein condensates [S. Inouye et al., Nature 392, 151 (1998); J. Stenger et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 2422 (1999)], large loss rates were observed when a time-varying magnetic field was used to tune a molecular Feshbach resonance state near the state of atom pairs that belong to the condensate many-body wave function. A mechanism is offered here to account for the observed losses. It is based on the deactivation of the resonant molecular state by interaction with a third condensate atom, with a deactivation rate coefficient of magnitude $\ensuremath{\sim}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10} {\mathrm{cm}}^{3}/\mathrm{s}.$

arXiv:cond-mat/9903414•Physical Review A•Aug 1, 1999•84 citations

Formation of molecules from a Cs Bose-Einstein condensate

Vladimir Yurovsky, A. Ben‐Reuven

Conversion of an expanding Bose-Einstein condensate of Cs atoms to a molecular one with an efficiency of more than 30% was observed recently in experiments by M. Mark et al. [Europhys. Lett. 69, 706 (2005)]. The theory presented here describes the experimental results. Values of resonance strength of 8 mG and rate coefficients for atom-molecule deactivation of $1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}11}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}∕\mathrm{s}$ and molecule-molecule one of $1.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}∕\mathrm{s}$ are estimated by a fit of the theoretical results to the experimental data. Near the resonance, where the highest conversion efficiency was observed, the results demonstrate strong sensitivity to the magnetic field ripple and inhomogeneity. A conversion efficiency of about 60% is predicted by non-mean-field calculations for densities and sweep rates lower than the ones used in the experiments.

arXiv:cond-mat/0505180•Physical Review A•Nov 17, 2005•12 citations

Role of Molecular Dissociation in Feshbach-Interacting 85Rb Condensates

Matt Mackie, Kalle‐Antti Suominen, Juha Javanainen

Recent Feshbach-resonance experiments with 85Rb Bose-Einstein condensates have led to a host of unexplained results: dramatic losses of condensate atoms for an across-resonance sweep of the magnetic field, a collapsing condensate with a burst of atoms emanating from the remnant condensate, increased losses for decreasing interaction times--until very short times are reached, and coherent oscillations between remnant and burst atoms. In particular, the amplitude of the remnant-burst oscillations, and the corresponding missing atoms, have prompted speculation as to the formation of a molecular condensate. Using a minimal mean-field model, we find that rogue dissociation, molecular dissociation to noncondensate atom pairs, is qualitatively implicated as the physical mechanism responsible for these observations, although very little molecular condensate is formed. Refining the model provides excellent quantitative agreement with the experimental remnant-burst oscillations, and the fraction of molecular condensate accounts almost entirely for the measured atom loss.

arXiv:physics/0209083•Sep 23, 2002•0 citations

Effective Field Theory for Atom-Molecule Systems III: Dynamic Effects of a Feshbach Resonance on Bragg scattering from a Bose-Einstein Condensate

Catarina E. Sahlberg, R. J. Ballagh, Crispin W. Gardiner

We present a theoretical model for Bragg scattering from a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in the vicinity of a magnetic Feshbach resonance, using a two c-field formalism, one c-field for the atom and the other for a molecule formed of two atoms. We use this model to numerically simulate a recent experiment [S. B. Papp et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 101(13):135301, Sep 2008] investigating the effects of strong interactions on the Bragg spectrum from a 85Rb BEC. Results from these simulations are in very good quantitative agreement with the experimental results, confirming the importance of the resonance bound state in the dynamics of the condensate for fast experiments like Bragg scattering.

arXiv:1109.2977•Sep 14, 2011•3 citations

Formation of molecules and entangled atomic pairs from atomic BEC due to Feshbach resonance

Vladimir Yurovsky

Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is considered under conditions of Feshbach resonance in two-atom collisions due to a coupling of atomic pair and resonant molecular states. The association of condensate atoms can form a molecular BEC, and the molecules can dissociate to pairs of entangled atoms in two-mode squeezed states. Both entanglement and squeezing can be applied to quantum measurements and information processing. The processes in the atom-molecule quantum gas are analyzed using two theoretical approaches. The mean-field one takes into account deactivating collisions of resonant molecules with other atoms and molecules, neglecting quantum fluctuations. This method allows analysis of inhomogeneous systems, such as expanding BEC. The non-mean-field approach -- the parametric approximation -- takes into account both deactivation and quantum fluctuations. This method allows determination of optimal conditions for formation of molecular BEC and describes Bose-enhanced dissociation of molecular BEC, as well as entanglement and squeezing of the non-condensate atoms.

arXiv:cond-mat/0611054•Nov 2, 2006•2 citations

Rapid Adiabatic Passage from an Atomic to a Molecular Condensate

Matt Mackie, Andrew Carmichael, Kostrun, Marijan +5 more

We examine collective magnetoassociation of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), focusing on rapid adiabatic passage from atoms to molecules induced by a sweep of the magnetic field across a wide (>~ 10 G) Feshbach resonance in 85Rb. This problem raises an interest because strong magnetoassociation is expected to favor the creation of molecular-dissociated atom pairs over the formation of molecular BEC [Javanainen and Mackie, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 090403 (2002)]. Nevertheless, the conversion to atom pairs is found to depend on the direction of the sweep, so that a system initially above threshold (open dissociation channel) may in fact give near-complete conversion to molecules.

arXiv:physics/0210131•Oct 31, 2002•4 citations
In experiments conducted recently at MIT on Na Bose-Einstein condensates [S. Inouye et al., Nature (London) 392, 151 (1998); J. Stenger et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 2422 (1999)], large loss rates were observed when a time-varying magnetic field was used to tune a molecular Feshbach resonance state near the state of a pair of atoms in the condensate. A collisional deactivation mechanism affecting a temporarily formed molecular condensate [see V. A. Yurovsky, A. Ben-Reuven, P. S. Julienne and C. J. Williams, Phys. Rev. A 60, R765 (1999)], studied here in more detail, accounts for the results of the slow-sweep experiments. A best fit to the MIT data yields a rate coefficient for deactivating atom-molecule collisions of 1.6\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi10\ensuremath−10cm3/s.1.6\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10} {\mathrm{cm}}^{3}/\mathrm{s}.1.6\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi10\ensuremath−10cm3/s. In the case of the fast-sweep experiment, a study is carried out of the combined effect of two competing mechanisms, the three-atom (atom-molecule) or four-atom (molecule-molecule) collisional deactivation versus a process of two-atom trap-state excitation by curve crossing [F. H. Mies, P. S. Julienne, and E. Tiesinga, Phys. Rev. A 61, 022721 (2000)]. It is shown that both mechanisms contribute to the loss comparably and nonadditively.
In recent experiments on Na Bose-Einstein condensates [S. Inouye et al., Nature 392, 151 (1998); J. Stenger et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 2422 (1999)], large loss rates were observed when a time-varying magnetic field was used to tune a molecular Feshbach resonance state near the state of atom pairs that belong to the condensate many-body wave function. A mechanism is offered here to account for the observed losses. It is based on the deactivation of the resonant molecular state by interaction with a third condensate atom, with a deactivation rate coefficient of magnitude $\ensuremath{\sim}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10} {\mathrm{cm}}^{3}/\mathrm{s}.$
Conversion of an expanding Bose-Einstein condensate of Cs atoms to a molecular one with an efficiency of more than 30% was observed recently in experiments by M. Mark et al. [Europhys. Lett. 69, 706 (2005)]. The theory presented here describes the experimental results. Values of resonance strength of 8 mG and rate coefficients for atom-molecule deactivation of $1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}11}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}∕\mathrm{s}$ and molecule-molecule one of $1.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}∕\mathrm{s}$ are estimated by a fit of the theoretical results to the experimental data. Near the resonance, where the highest conversion efficiency was observed, the results demonstrate strong sensitivity to the magnetic field ripple and inhomogeneity. A conversion efficiency of about 60% is predicted by non-mean-field calculations for densities and sweep rates lower than the ones used in the experiments.
Recent Feshbach-resonance experiments with 85Rb Bose-Einstein condensates have led to a host of unexplained results: dramatic losses of condensate atoms for an across-resonance sweep of the magnetic field, a collapsing condensate with a burst of atoms emanating from the remnant condensate, increased losses for decreasing interaction times--until very short times are reached, and coherent oscillations between remnant and burst atoms. In particular, the amplitude of the remnant-burst oscillations, and the corresponding missing atoms, have prompted speculation as to the formation of a molecular condensate. Using a minimal mean-field model, we find that rogue dissociation, molecular dissociation to noncondensate atom pairs, is qualitatively implicated as the physical mechanism responsible for these observations, although very little molecular condensate is formed. Refining the model provides excellent quantitative agreement with the experimental remnant-burst oscillations, and the fraction of molecular condensate accounts almost entirely for the measured atom loss.
We present a theoretical model for Bragg scattering from a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in the vicinity of a magnetic Feshbach resonance, using a two c-field formalism, one c-field for the atom and the other for a molecule formed of two atoms. We use this model to numerically simulate a recent experiment [S. B. Papp et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 101(13):135301, Sep 2008] investigating the effects of strong interactions on the Bragg spectrum from a 85Rb BEC. Results from these simulations are in very good quantitative agreement with the experimental results, confirming the importance of the resonance bound state in the dynamics of the condensate for fast experiments like Bragg scattering.
Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is considered under conditions of Feshbach resonance in two-atom collisions due to a coupling of atomic pair and resonant molecular states. The association of condensate atoms can form a molecular BEC, and the molecules can dissociate to pairs of entangled atoms in two-mode squeezed states. Both entanglement and squeezing can be applied to quantum measurements and information processing. The processes in the atom-molecule quantum gas are analyzed using two theoretical approaches. The mean-field one takes into account deactivating collisions of resonant molecules with other atoms and molecules, neglecting quantum fluctuations. This method allows analysis of inhomogeneous systems, such as expanding BEC. The non-mean-field approach -- the parametric approximation -- takes into account both deactivation and quantum fluctuations. This method allows determination of optimal conditions for formation of molecular BEC and describes Bose-enhanced dissociation of molecular BEC, as well as entanglement and squeezing of the non-condensate atoms.
We examine collective magnetoassociation of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), focusing on rapid adiabatic passage from atoms to molecules induced by a sweep of the magnetic field across a wide (>~ 10 G) Feshbach resonance in 85Rb. This problem raises an interest because strong magnetoassociation is expected to favor the creation of molecular-dissociated atom pairs over the formation of molecular BEC [Javanainen and Mackie, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 090403 (2002)]. Nevertheless, the conversion to atom pairs is found to depend on the direction of the sweep, so that a system initially above threshold (open dissociation channel) may in fact give near-complete conversion to molecules.