420 research outputs found
Simulating Quantum Magnetism with Correlated Non-Neutral Ion Plasmas
By employing forces that depend on the internal electronic state (or spin) of
an atomic ion, the Coulomb potential energy of a strongly coupled array of ions
can be modified in a spin-dependent way to mimic effective quantum spin
Hamiltonians. Both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions can be
implemented. We use simple models to explain how the effective spin
interactions are engineered with trapped-ion crystals. We summarize the type of
effective spin interactions that can be readily generated, and discuss an
experimental implementation using single-plane ion crystals in a Penning trap.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, to be published in the Proceedings of 10th
International Workshop on Non-Neutral Plasma
Relaxation timescales and decay of correlations in a long-range interacting quantum simulator
We study the time evolution of correlation functions in long-range
interacting quantum Ising models. For a large class of initial conditions,
exact analytic results are obtained in arbitrary lattice dimension, both for
ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic coupling, and hence also in the presence of
geometric frustration. In contrast to the nearest-neighbour case, we find that
correlations decay like stretched or compressed exponentials in time. Provided
the long-range character of the interactions is sufficiently strong, pronounced
prethermalization plateaus are observed and relaxation timescales are widely
separated. Specializing to a triangular lattice in two spatial dimensions, we
propose to utilize these results for benchmarking of a recently developed
ion-trap based quantum simulator.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures; v2: one section removed, appendices added; v3:
upper bound corrected + minor corrections; v4: as publishe
Microwave state transfer and adiabatic dynamics of magnetically trapped polar molecules
Cold and ultracold polar molecules with nonzero electronic angular momentum
are of great interest for studies in quantum chemistry and control,
investigations of novel quantum systems, and precision measurement. However, in
mixed electric and magnetic fields, these molecules are generically subject to
a large set of avoided crossings among their Zeeman sublevels; in magnetic
traps, these crossings lead to distorted potentials and trap loss from electric
bias fields. We have characterized these crossings in OH by
microwave-transferring trapped OH molecules from the upper |f; M = +3/2> parity
state to the lower |e; +3/2> state and observing their trap dynamics under an
applied electric bias field. Our observations are very well described by a
simple Landau-Zener model, yielding insight to the rich spectra and dynamics of
polar radicals in mixed external fields.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures plus supplementary materia
Low-energy molecular collisions in a permanent magnetic trap
Cold, neutral hydroxyl radicals are Stark decelerated and confined within a
magnetic trap consisting of two permanent ring magnets. The OH molecules are
trapped in the ro-vibrational ground state at a density of
cm and temperature of 70 mK. Collisions between the trapped OH sample
and supersonic beams of atomic He and molecular D are observed and
absolute collision cross sections measured. The He--OH and D--OH
center-of-mass collision energies are tuned from 60 cm to 230 cm
and 145 cm to 510 cm, respectively, yielding evidence of reduced
He--OH inelastic cross sections at energies below 84 cm, the OH ground
rotational level spacing.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Cold Molecule Spectroscopy for Constraining the Evolution of the Fine Structure Constant
We report precise measurements of ground-state, -doublet microwave
transitions in the hydroxyl radical molecule (OH). Utilizing slow, cold
molecules produced by a Stark decelerator we have improved over the precision
of the previous best measurement by twenty-five-fold for the F' = 2 F = 2
transition, yielding (1 667 358 996 4) Hz, and by ten-fold for the F' = 1
F = 1 transition, yielding (1 665 401 803 12) Hz. Comparing these
laboratory frequencies to those from OH megamasers in interstellar space will
allow a sensitivity of 1 ppm for over
years.Comment: This version corrects minor typos in the Zeeman shift discussio
Magneto-electrostatic trapping of ground state OH molecules
We report the magnetic confinement of neutral, ground state hydroxyl radicals
(OH) at a density of cm and temperature of 30
mK. An adjustable electric field of sufficient magnitude to polarize the OH is
superimposed on the trap in either a quadrupole or homogenous field geometry.
The OH is confined by an overall potential established via molecular state
mixing induced by the combined electric and magnetic fields acting on the
molecule's electric dipole and magnetic dipole moments, respectively. An
effective molecular Hamiltonian including Stark and Zeeman terms has been
constructed to describe single molecule dynamics inside the trap. Monte Carlo
simulation using this Hamiltonian accurately models the observed trap dynamics
in various trap configurations. Confinement of cold polar molecules in a
magnetic trap, leaving large, adjustable electric fields for control, is an
important step towards the study of low energy dipole-dipole collisions.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
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