Few-body collisions in a quantum gas mixture of 40K and 87Rb atoms
Author | |
Abstract |
<p>This thesis describes experiments on few-body interactions in a mixture of ultracold bosonic\ <span style="line-height: 1.6em;"><sup>87</sup>Rb and fermionic <sup>40</sup>K atoms. Ultracold atoms are celebrated as a platform to explore fundamental\ </span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">quantum physics because their internal states, external potentials, and interactions with each other\ </span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">can be controlled by straightforward electrical and optical tools. In the case of Bose-Fermi mixtures,\ </span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">control comes at the cost of stability when strong interactions give rise to inelastic collisions that\ </span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">destroy the atomic samples. I present detailed measurements of the cross sections for these inelastic\ </span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">processes and discuss how they fit into an emerging pattern of resonances that is leading to better\ </span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">models of few-atom interactions. These phenomena have their roots in universal Emov physics,\ </span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">which is a paradigm of quantum three-body interactions that was originally inspired by exotic\ </span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">nuclear states. I also discuss several methods to control the formation of KRb Feshbach molecules\ </span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">within the finite lifetime of the interacting K and Rb atomic mixture.</span></p>
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Year of Publication |
2014
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Degree |
Ph. D.
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Number of Pages |
133
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Date Published |
2014-07
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University |
University of Colorado Boulder
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City |
Boulder
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JILA PI Advisors | |
Bloom_thesis.pdf6.43 MB
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Publication Status |