Ultra-cold collisions and experiments with gases in the quantum and non-quantum regime

• Grant number: 96/04213-1
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• Start date: January 01, 1997
• End date: February 29, 2000
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Atomic and Molecular Physics
• Principal Investigator: Vanderlei Salvador Bagnato
• Grantee: Vanderlei Salvador Bagnato
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant(s): 99/03527-0 - 1) the study of cold collisions involving differents species. 2) investigation of exoergic cold collision in trapped alkali mixtures., AR.EXT; 98/14490-8 - Vyacheslav Yukalov | Joint Institute for Nuclear Research - Russia, AV.EXT; 97/01947-7 - Randall G. Hulet | Rice University - Estados Unidos, AV.EXT
• Associated scholarship(s): 98/12006-1 - Production and study of Bose-Einstein condensation with laser cooled alkali atoms, BP.PD

Abstract

Following our present line of research we will study different aspects of ultra cold atomic collisions for a sample of atoms held in a magneto optical trap two distinct species must also be simultaneously trapped. The main collision process to be investigated involves hyperfine change collisions using the sudden change of intensity technique and photo association for homo and heteronuclear collision. For sodium atoms, studies of photo associative ionization in the presence of a third body (a second cold alkali atom different from Na) should result in the observation of novel effects. A second part of the program consists to obtain a Bose-condensate sample of Na atom. Investigation of cold collisions and thermodynamic effects (as transport and thermal properties) will be studied in this quantum gas sample. The study of optically modifying the scattering length and its consequences on the collision properties of the system will be included in this program. (AU)