1,115 research outputs found
KRb Feshbach Resonances: Modeling the interatomic potential
We have observed 28 heteronuclear Feshbach resonances in 10 spin combinations
of the hyperfine ground states of a 40K 87Rb mixture. The measurements were
performed by observing the loss rates from an atomic mixture at magnetic fields
between 0 and 700 G. This data was used to significantly refine an interatomic
potential derived from molecular spectroscopy, yielding a highly consistent
model of the KRb interaction. Thus, the measured resonances can be assigned to
the corresponding molecular states. In addition, this potential allows for an
accurate calculation of the energy differences between highly excited levels
and the rovibrational ground level. This information is of particular relevance
for the formation of deeply bound heteronuclear molecules. Finally, the model
is used to predict Feshbach resonances in mixtures of 87Rb combined with 39K or
41K.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Possible production of exotic baryonia in relativistic heavy-ion collisions
Properties of a hypothetical baryonium with the quark content
(uds\ov{u}\ov{d}\ov{s}) are discussed. The MIT bag model predicts its mass to
be unexpectedly low, approximately 1210 MeV. Possible hadronic decay modes of
this state are analyzed. Ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions provide
favorable conditions for the formation of such particles from the baryon-free
quark-gluon plasma. We estimate multiplicities of such exotic baryonia on the
basis of a simple thermal model.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figur
Interaction-free measurements by quantum Zeno stabilisation of ultracold atoms
Quantum mechanics predicts that our physical reality is influenced by events
that can potentially happen but factually do not occur. Interaction-free
measurements (IFMs) exploit this counterintuitive influence to detect the
presence of an object without requiring any interaction with it. Here we
propose and realize an IFM concept based on an unstable many-particle system.
In our experiments, we employ an ultracold gas in an unstable spin
configuration which can undergo a rapid decay. The object - realized by a laser
beam - prevents this decay due to the indirect quantum Zeno effect and thus,
its presence can be detected without interacting with a single atom. Contrary
to existing proposals, our IFM does not require single-particle sources and is
only weakly affected by losses and decoherence. We demonstrate confidence
levels of 90%, well beyond previous optical experiments.Comment: manuscript with 5 figures, 3 supplementary figure, 1 supplementary
not
Spontaneous breaking of spatial and spin symmetry in spinor condensates
Parametric amplification of quantum fluctuations constitutes a fundamental
mechanism for spontaneous symmetry breaking. In our experiments, a spinor
condensate acts as a parametric amplifier of spin modes, resulting in a twofold
spontaneous breaking of spatial and spin symmetry in the amplified clouds. Our
experiments permit a precise analysis of the amplification in specific spatial
Bessel-like modes, allowing for the detailed understanding of the double
symmetry breaking. On resonances that create vortex-antivortex superpositions,
we show that the cylindrical spatial symmetry is spontaneously broken, but
phase squeezing prevents spin-symmetry breaking. If, however, nondegenerate
spin modes contribute to the amplification, quantum interferences lead to
spin-dependent density profiles and hence spontaneously-formed patterns in the
longitudinal magnetization.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Extended coherence time on the clock transition of optically trapped Rubidium
Optically trapped ensembles are of crucial importance for frequency
measurements and quantum memories, but generally suffer from strong dephasing
due to inhomogeneous density and light shifts. We demonstrate a drastic
increase of the coherence time to 21 s on the magnetic field insensitive clock
transition of Rb-87 by applying the recently discovered spin self-rephasing.
This result confirms the general nature of this new mechanism and thus shows
its applicability in atom clocks and quantum memories. A systematic
investigation of all relevant frequency shifts and noise contributions yields a
stability of 2.4E-11 x tau^(-1/2), where tau is the integration time in
seconds. Based on a set of technical improvements, the presented frequency
standard is predicted to rival the stability of microwave fountain clocks in a
potentially much more compact setup.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Radio frequency association of heteronuclear Feshbach molecules
We present a detailed analysis of the production efficiency of weakly bound
heteronuclear KRb-Feshbach molecules using radio frequency association in a
harmonic trap. The efficiency was measured in a wide range of temperatures,
binding energies and radio frequencies. A comprehensive analytical model is
presented, explaining the observed asymmetric spectra and achieving good
quantitative agreement with the measured production rates. This model provides
a deep understanding of the molecule association process and paves the way for
future experiments which rely on Feshbach molecules e.g. for the production of
deeply bound molecules.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
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