Measurement and simulation of scattering properties of dysprosium

ORAL

Abstract

Ultracold collisions can often be characterized by a single parameter, the \textit{s}-wave scattering length \textit{a}, but despite the simplicity of this model, the scattering length a often must be determined experimentally, even for alkali atoms. For highly magnetic lanthanide atoms such as dysprosium (Dy, 10 $\mu_B$), the dipolar interaction may strongly affect the scattering properties and must also be taken into account. We have characterized the elastic cross-section for scattering between ultracold Dy atoms by measuring the rethermalization rate in a Dy clouds driven out of equilibrium. The experimental data agree well with numerical simulations based on Boltzmann equations that include the dipolar interaction contribution. Our recent work on observations of inelastic dipolar scattering will also be briefly discussed. \\[4pt] [1] N. Burdick, K. Baumann, Y. Tang, M. Lu, and B. L. Lev, Phys Rev Lett \textbf{114}, 023201 (2015).

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Authors

  • Yijun Tang

    Stanford University

  • Nathaniel Burdick

    Stanford University

  • Benjamin Lev

    Stanford University

  • Andrew Sykesy

    JILA; NIST; University of Colorado, Boulder, JILA; NIST: U. of Colorado, Boulder

  • John Bohn

    JILA; NIST; University of Colorado, Boulder, JILA; NIST: U. of Colorado, Boulder, JILA, University of Colorado, and National Institute of Standards and Technology, JILA, NIST, and Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, JILA, NIST, and the University of Colorado