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Updated: Jan 30, 2026
09:10
Construction and Characterization of External Cavity Diode Lasers for Atomic Physics
Published on: April 24, 2014
28.5K
Penning collisions between supersonically expanded metastable He atoms and laser-cooled Li atoms.
Jonas Grzesiak1, Takamasa Momose2, Frank Stienkemeier1
1Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
The Journal of Chemical Physics
|January 21, 2019
Summary
We developed a new experimental setup to study atomic collisions between metastable helium and ultracold lithium atoms. This system enables high-rate ion detection and direct temperature probing of lithium atoms.
Area of Science:
- Atomic physics
- Quantum optics
- Chemical physics
Background:
- Penning ionization and associative ionization are crucial for understanding atomic interactions.
- Studying ultracold atoms requires advanced trapping and detection techniques.
- Metastable helium and ultracold lithium atoms are ideal for fundamental collision studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel experimental setup for studying atomic collisions.
- To enable high ion count rate measurements of Penning and associative ionization.
- To develop new methods for probing ultracold atomic gases.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a discharge source for metastable helium supersonic beams.
- Employing a magneto-optical trap for ultracold lithium atoms.
- Implementing a novel ion detection scheme with mass selection and high energy resolution.
Main Results:
- Achieved high ion count rates for Penning and associative ionization studies.
- Quantified the influence of elastic He-Li collisions on lithium atom number in the MOT.
- Estimated the excitation efficiency of the discharge source.
- Demonstrated direct temperature probing of lithium clouds via Penning collisions.
Conclusions:
- The developed setup facilitates efficient study of atomic ionization processes.
- Elastic collisions significantly impact ultracold atom populations in MOTs.
- Penning collisions offer a direct and efficient method for temperature measurement in ultracold atomic systems.
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