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arXiv:physics/0105015

Comparative investigation of 39K and 40K trap loss rates: alternative loss channel at low light intensities

Giovanni Carlo Modugno, G. Roati, M. Inguscio, Mário Santos, Gustavo Deczka Telles, Luís Gustavo Marcassa, Vanderlei Salvador Bagnato

Published May 4, 2001• 0 citations
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Abstract

We report a comparative investigation of trap loss rates in a magneto-optical trap for two potassium isotopes, 39K and 40K, as a function of trap light intensity. The isotopes present a quite similar behavior for the loss rates at high intensities, and a sudden increase of the loss rates at low intensities is present in both cases. While for 39K such increase can be explained assuming that the major contribution to the losses comes from Hyperfine Changing Collisions, a different loss mechanism must be considered for 40K, which has an inverted ground state hyperfine structure. The experimental results of both isotopes are well reproduced by an alternative model based on radiative escape as the dominant loss mechanism.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.physics/0105015

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We report a comparative investigation of trap loss rates in a magneto-optical trap for two potassium isotopes, 39K and 40K, as a function of trap light intensity. The isotopes present a quite similar behavior for the loss rates at high intensities, and a sudden increase of the loss rates at low intensities is present in both cases. While for 39K such increase can be explained assuming that the major contribution to the losses comes from Hyperfine Changing Collisions, a different loss mechanism must be considered for 40K, which has an inverted ground state hyperfine structure. The experimental results of both isotopes are well reproduced by an alternative model based on radiative escape as the dominant loss mechanism.
We present measurements of loading and loss rates for a vapor-cell optical trap of the two naturally occurring potassium isotopes 39K and 41K. The unresolved excited-state hyperfine structure makes trapping of K fundamentally different from trapping of the other alkalis and leads to an enhanced loading rate. We measure the loading rate as a function of laser intensity, beam size, and detuning and find that the results are in reasonable agreement with a simple rate-equation model for the loading process. The dependence of the loss rate on trapped-atom density determines the contribution to the loss rates from excited-state collisions. We find a substantial difference between the collisional loss rates for the two isotopes.
We have measured the collisional loss rate for cold strontium atoms held in a magneto-optical trap as a function of light intensity in the regime of low intensity (2-6 mW/cm²). The results confirm our recently proposed model, where we showed that the sudden increase of loss rate at low intensities does not depend on hyperfine structure changing collision only. The model, which is based on radiative escape mechanism and a light intensity dependent escape velocity, is able to reproduce quite well the behavior of the experimental observations. The data here reported may be of importance for a recent proposed application for cold trapped 88Sr atoms, as well as other trappable alkaline earth metal atoms such as Ca.
Trap-loss rates due to hyperfine--structure-changing collisions involving cold Na and K atoms in a mixed species magneto-optical trap have been measured. The investigations were performed in the low intensity regime, where hyperfine--structure-changing collision are believed to be the dominant mechanism for atomic losses. Comparison between homonuclear (Na-Na) and heteronuclear (Na-K) collision rate coefficients reveals a higher loss rate in the case of heteronuclear collisions. Results obtained in the regime of low trap laser intensity are compared with existent loss rates for several alkali metals, showing themselves to be in good agreement with those expected.
Usually, the large trap loss rates observed in MOTs at the low light intensity regime have been associated with hyperfine change collisions (HCC). We propose an alternative mechanism to explain the sudden raise up of trap loss rates at low intensity without relying on HCC. Using the Gallagher-Pritchard model [Phys. Rev. Lett. 63, 957 (1989)] together with an intensity dependent escape velocity, we were able to reproduce qualitatively well some existing experimental results, including recent observations by Nesnidal et al. [Phys. Rev. A 62, 030701(R) (2000)]. This result reopens the discussion in order to better understand the physical mechanisms and their actual contribution to the trap losses.
We report on measurements of trap-loss collisions between ultracold Rb atoms that are confined in a magneto-optical trap. Both isotopes, 85Rb{}^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb and 87Rb,{}^{87}\mathrm{Rb},87Rb, have been studied over a wide range of trap laser intensities and detunings. The trap-loss collisional rate constant exhibits variations over three orders of magnitude. At low intensities and/or large detunings, the trap loss is dominated by ground-state hyperfine-changing collisions, while at high intensities and small detunings, collisions involving excited atoms are more important. We see significant differences between the isotopes in both regimes. At large detunings, the ability of the trap to recapture products of a hyperfine-changing collision is significantly diminished. This finding is supported by our numerical simulations of the recapture process. The trap loss rates due to collisions with room-temperature background gas have also been measured. A surprisingly large increase in this rate is seen when the confining power of the trap is reduced.
We report measurements of collisional rate constants for cold Rb atoms held in a magneto-optical trap. 85Rb^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb and 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb display significantly different behavior. At low trap laser intensities, atoms which undergo a hyperfine-changing collision gain sufficient velocity to escape the trap. Since the hyperfine splittings are quite different for the isotopes, the loss rates display a large isotopic dependence in this regime. At higher trap laser intensities, where trap loss is due to inelastic collisions involving excited atoms, a dramatic and unexpected isotopic dependence is seen. Under identical conditions, the loss rate for 85Rb^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb is 3.3 times that of 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb.