Collisions of trapped molecules with slow beams
- Harvard-MIT Center for Ultracold Atoms, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (United States)
- Institute for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (United States)
- Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269 (United States)
We present a theoretical study of molecular-trap loss induced by collisions with slow atomic beams based on an explicit analysis of collision kinematics in the laboratory frame and a rigorous quantum description of atom-molecule scattering in external fields. The theory is applied to elucidate the effects of nonuniform magnetic and optical trapping fields on low-temperature collisions of OH (J=3/2,M{sub J}=3/2,f) molecules with {sup 4}He atoms. Our calculations quantify the extent to which both elastic and inelastic cross sections are suppressed by external trapping fields, clarify the role of small-angle scattering in trap loss, and may benefit future experiments on collisional cooling of molecules in electromagnetic traps. The calculated cross sections for trap loss in {sup 4}He + OH collisions are consistent with recent experimental observations at low beam energies [B. C. Sawyer et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 203203 (2008)], demonstrating the importance of including the effects of nonuniform trapping fields in theoretical simulations of cold collision experiments with trapped molecules and slow atomic beams.
- OSTI ID:
- 21448501
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. A, Journal Name: Physical Review. A Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 82; ISSN 1050-2947; ISSN PLRAAN
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ATOM COLLISIONS
ATOM-MOLECULE COLLISIONS
ATOMIC BEAMS
ATOMS
BEAMS
COLLISIONS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
COOLING
CROSS SECTIONS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HELIUM 4
HELIUM ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MOLECULE COLLISIONS
MOLECULES
NUCLEI
SCATTERING
SIMULATION
SMALL ANGLE SCATTERING
STABLE ISOTOPES
TRAPPING
TRAPS