Phys. Rev. A 64, 011404(R) (2001) [4 pages]

Enhanced cooling of hydrogen by a buffer gas of alkali-metal atoms

Abstract

References

Citing Articles (10)

Download: PDF (62 kB) Buy this article Export: BibTeX or EndNote (RIS)

A. Derevianko^*, R. Côté^†, A. Dalgarno, and G.-H. Jeung^‡
Institute for Theoretical Atomic and Molecular Physics, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138

Received 22 January 2001; published 12 June 2001

We consider the possibility of enhanced cooling of hydrogen atoms by a buffer gas of alkali-metal atoms Na, K, Rb, and Cs. Ultracold elastic collision cross sections for the Na-H and Rb-H purely spin-polarized pairs are found to be 640 and 860 times larger than that for the H-H pair, respectively. From an analysis of the techniques of production of ultracold sodium and rubidium samples, it seems feasible that the critical conditions for Bose-Einstein condensation of hydrogen could be achieved already at the stage of optical cooling of the sodium or rubidium buffer gas.

URL:

http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevA.64.011404

DOI:

10.1103/PhysRevA.64.011404

PACS:

32.80.Pj, 31.15.Ar, 32.80.Cy, 34.20.-b

^*Permanent address: Department of Physics, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557.

^†Permanent address: Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-3046.

^‡Permanent address: Laboratoire Aimé Cotton (CNRS UPR3321), Bâtiment 505, Université de Paris Sud, 91405 Orsay, France.

About | Terms and Conditions | Subscriptions | Search | Help

Use of the American Physical Society websites and journals implies that the user has read and agrees to our Terms and Conditions and any applicable Subscription Agreement. Physical Review®, Physical Review Letters®, Reviews of Modern Physics®, and Physical Review Special Topics® are trademarks of the American Physical Society.

Citation Search:

Phys. Rev. A 64, 011404(R) (2001) [4 pages]

Enhanced cooling of hydrogen by a buffer gas of alkali-metal atoms