Ultracold Rare-Earth Magnetic Atoms with an Electric Dipole Moment

Area of Science:

• Atomic Physics
• Quantum Optics
• Condensed Matter Physics

Background:

• Ultracold atoms offer unique platforms for quantum simulations and precision measurements.
• Inducing electric and magnetic dipole moments in atoms is crucial for controlling their interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a new method for generating an electric and magnetic dipolar gas of ultracold dysprosium atoms.
• To investigate the feasibility of mixing atomic energy levels using external electric fields.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing nearly degenerate energy levels in dysprosium atoms (17513.33 cm⁻¹ J=10 and 17514.50 cm⁻¹ J=9).
• Applying external electric fields (up to 5 kV/cm) to induce electric dipole moments.
• Analyzing the resulting magnetic dipole moments and their dependence on applied magnetic fields.

Main Results:

• Predicted large magnetic dipole moments up to 13 Bohr magnetons.
• Predicted sizable electric dipole moments up to 0.22 Debye.
• Demonstrated strong angular dependence of the induced electric dipole moment on the relative orientation of electric and magnetic fields.
• Determined a millisecond-range lifetime for the field-mixed energy levels.

Conclusions:

• The proposed method provides a viable route to creating ultracold dipolar gases.
• The long lifetimes and controllable dipole moments are suitable for experimental manipulation and applications in quantum technologies.