Inelastic collisions of atomic thorium and molecular thorium monoxide with cold helium-3

We measure inelastic cross sections for atomic thorium (Th) and molecular thorium monoxide (ThO) in collisions with $^3$He at temperatures near 1 K. We determine the Zeeman relaxation cross section for Th ($^3$F$_2$) to be $\sim 2 \times 10^{-17}$~cm$^{-2}$ at 800~mK. We study electronic inelastic processes in Th ($^3$P$_0$) and find no quenching even after $10^6$ collisions at 800~mK. We measure the vibrational quenching cross section for ThO~(X,~$\nu=1$) to be $(7.9 \pm 2.7) \times 10^{-19}$~cm$^{-2}$ at 800~mK. Finally, we observe indirect evidence for ThO (X, $\nu=0$)--$^3$He van der Waals complex formation, and measure the 3-body recombination rate constant to be $\Gamma_3 = (8 \pm 2) \times 10^{-33}$~cm$^6$s$^{-1}$ at 2.4~K. The stability of the ground Th ($^3$F$_2$) state, metastable Th ($^3$P$_0$) state, and vibrational excited ThO (X, $\nu=1$) state provides data on anisotropic interactions in new systems and opens up the possibility for further studies and experiments, including trapping.Physic

Properties of the ground 3^3F2_2 state and the excited 3^3P0_0 state of atomic thorium in cold collisions with 3^3He

We measure inelastic collisional cross sections for the ground $^3$F$_2$ state and the excited $^3$P$_0$ state of atomic thorium in cold collisions with $^3$He. We determine for Th ($^3$F$_2$) at 800 mK the ratio $\gamma \approx 500$ of the momentum-transfer to Zeeman relaxation cross sections for collisions with $^3$He. For Th ($^3$P$_0$), we study electronic inelastic processes and find no quenching even after $10^6$ collisions. We also determine the radiative lifetime of Th ($^3$P$_0$) to be $\tau > 130$ ms. This great stability of the metastable state opens up the possibility for further study, including trapping

Vibrational quenching of the electronic ground state in ThO in cold collisions with 3^3He

We measure the ratio $\gamma$ of the momentum-transfer to the vibrational quenching cross section for the X ($^1\Sigma^+$), $\nu=1$, $\mathrm{J=0}$ state of molecular thorium monoxide (ThO) in collisions with atomic $^3$He between 800 mK and 2.4 K. We observe indirect evidence for ThO--He van der Waals' complex formation, which has been predicted by theory. We determine the 3-body recombination rate constant $\Gamma_3$ at 2.4 K, and establish that the binding energy E$_b >$ 4 K

Turn-by-Turn Imaging of the Transverse Beam Profile in PEP-II

During injection or instability, the transverse profile of an individual bunch in a storage ring can change significantly in a few turns. However, most synchrotron-light imaging techniques are not designed for this time scale. We have developed a novel diagnostic that enhances the utility of a fast gated camera by adding, inexpensively, some features of a dual-axis streak camera, in order to watch the turn-by-turn evolution of the transverse profile, in both x and y. The beam's elliptical profile is reshaped using cylindrical lenses to form a tall and narrow ellipse—essentially the projection of the full ellipse onto one transverse axis. We do this projection twice, by splitting the beam into two paths at different heights, and rotating the ellipse by 90° on one path. A rapidly rotating mirror scans these vertical “pencils” of light horizontally across the photocathode of the camera, which is gated for 3 ns on every Nth ring turn. A single readout of the camera captures 100 images, looking like a stroboscopic photograph of a moving object. We have observed the capture of injected charge into a bunch and the rapid change of beam size at the onset of a fast instability

Large spin relaxation rates in trapped submerged-shell atoms

Spin relaxation due to atom-atom collisions is measured for magnetically trapped erbium and thulium atoms at a temperature near 500 mK. The rate constants for Er-Er and Tm-Tm collisions are 3.0 times 10^-10 cm^3 s^-1 and 1.1 times 10^-10 cm^3 s^-1, respectively, 2-3 orders of magnitude larger than those observed for highly magnetic S-state atoms. This is strong evidence for an additional, dominant, spin relaxation mechanism, electrostatic anisotropy, in collisions between these "submerged-shell" L > 0 atoms. These large spin relaxation rates imply that evaporative cooling of these atoms in a magnetic trap will be highly inefficient.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Collision-Induced Spin Depolarization of Alkali-metal Atoms in Cold 3^3He Gas

We present a joint experimental and theoretical study of spin depolarization in collisions of alkali-metal atoms with $^3$He in a magnetic field. A rigorous quantum theory for spin-changing transitions is developed and applied to calculate the spin exchange and spin relaxation rates of Li and K atoms in cryogenic $^3$He gas. Magnetic trapping experiments provide upper bounds to the spin exchange rates for Li-$^3$He and K-$^3$He, which are in agreement with the present theory. Our calculations demonstrate that the alkali-metal atoms have extremely slow spin depolarization rates, suggesting a number of potential applications in precision spectroscopy and quantum optics.Physic

Formation and dynamics of van der Waals molecules in buffer-gas traps

We show that weakly bound He-containing van der Waals molecules can be produced and magnetically trapped in buffer-gas cooling experiments, and provide a general model for the formation and dynamics of these molecules. Our analysis shows that, at typical experimental parameters, thermodynamics favors the formation of van der Waals complexes composed of a helium atom bound to most open-shell atoms and molecules, and that complex formation occurs quickly enough to ensure chemical equilibrium. For molecular pairs composed of a He atom and an S-state atom, the molecular spin is stable during formation, dissociation, and collisions, and thus these molecules can be magnetically trapped. Collisional spin relaxation is too slow to affect trap lifetimes. However, 3He-containing complexes can change spin due to adiabatic crossings between trapped and untrapped Zeeman states, mediated by the anisotropic hyperfine interaction, causing trap loss. We provide a detailed model for Ag3He molecules, using ab initio calculation of Ag–He interaction potentials and spin interactions, quantum scattering theory, and direct Monte Carlo simulations to describe formation and spin relaxation in this system. The calculated rate of spin-change agrees quantitatively with experimental observations, providing indirect evidence for molecular formation in buffer-gas-cooled magnetic traps. Finally, we discuss the possibilities for spectroscopic detection of these complexes, including a calculation of expected spectra for Ag3He, and report on our spectroscopic search for Ag3He, which produced a null result.Astronom

Formation and dynamics of van der Waals molecules in buffer-gas traps

We show that weakly bound He-containing van der Waals molecules can be produced and magnetically trapped in buffer-gas cooling experiments, and provide a general model for the formation and dynamics of these molecules. Our analysis shows that, at typical experimental parameters, thermodynamics favors the formation of van der Waals complexes composed of a helium atom bound to most open-shell atoms and molecules, and that complex formation occurs quickly enough to ensure chemical equilibrium. For molecular pairs composed of a He atom and an S-state atom, the molecular spin is stable during formation, dissociation, and collisions, and thus these molecules can be magnetically trapped. Collisional spin relaxations are too slow to affect trap lifetimes. However, helium-3-containing complexes can change spin due to adiabatic crossings between trapped and untrapped Zeeman states, mediated by the anisotropic hyperfine interaction, causing trap loss. We provide a detailed model for Ag3He molecules, using ab initio calculation of Ag-He interaction potentials and spin interactions, quantum scattering theory, and direct Monte Carlo simulations to describe formation and spin relaxation in this system. The calculated rate of spin-change agrees quantitatively with experimental observations, providing indirect evidence for molecular formation in buffer-gas-cooled magnetic traps.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figure

Birefringent Cavity for CQED

By trapping a single atom in a Fabry-Perot cavity, we can realize strong coupling between the atom and the electromagnetic field, which may in the future be utilized to perform quantum gates in quantum computing. Previous experiments with Cesium atoms at the Caltech Quantum Optics group achieved a trapping time of 3 seconds, and they led to a detailed study of the atom-photon interactions known as the vacuum-Rabi splitting. It is believed that the trapping time is limited by collisions with residual gas molecules inside the vacuum chamber. I report three designs for the piezoelectric-controlled cavity mirror mount, bakeable to a temperature above 250 °C and hence more desirable for deployments in ultra-high vacuum (UHV). I also present new procedures which I have helped to develop for cavity construction and the characterization of cavities. In addition, I consider cavity birefringence, which can present complications to our experiments because a birefringent cavity supports two orthogonal, nondegenerate modes. I developed a simple model of cavity birefringence and made our first attempt to actively induce birefringence by stressing the cavity mirrors with piezoelectric materials, although we have not yet been able to demonstrate control over cavity birefringence. Nonetheless, with expected improvements in both mechanical stability of the cavity and base pressure of the system, it is hoped that a longer trapping time of 30 seconds can be achieved and that the new experiment with a single-sided cavity can lead to further studies of the dynamics of atom-photon interactions

Properties of the ground 3F2 state and the excited 3P0 state of atomic thorium in cold collisions with 3He

Physic