Magnetic transport and mixing of two distinct cold atomic gases: A new route to the study of ultracold mixtures

两种不同冷原子气体的磁输运和混合：超冷混合物研究的新途径

• 批准号: EP/D033314/1
• 负责人: Simon Cornish
• 金额: $ 16.44万
• 依托单位: Durham University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2006 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FD033314%2F1
• 关键词: Magnetic; transport; mixing; two; distinct

One of the most dramatic recent advances in physics has been the experimental realization of new states of matter as a consequence of using lasers to cool atoms to within a billionth of a degree of absolute zero. The development of laser-cooling techniques was the subject of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics, and the realization of a new state of matter, a Bose-Einstein Condensate, resulted in the 2001 Nobel Prize. Some of the most interesting physics currently being studied in this field arises when two such cold atomic gases are mixed. However, there are conflicting requirements in designing the vacuum chamber in which the cold mixture is held: a higher pressure region is required to collect a large number of cold atoms quickly, and a much lower pressure end is needed in which to store and study the cold ensemble. Current techniques for transferring the atoms from one region of the apparatus to the other have a number of limitations; lack of optical access and the presence of one cold species interfering with the collection of the other. We wish to demonstrate an alternative method which would allow the fast and efficient transport and mixing of two spatially separated distinct cold atomic gases into an ultra-high vacuum region. Our method circumvents the problems encountered with current techniques and offers a new route to the study of ultracold mixtures.

物理学最近最引人注目的进展之一是实验实现了新的物质状态，这是使用激光将原子冷却到绝对零度的十亿分之一的结果。激光冷却技术的发展是1997年诺贝尔物理学奖的主题，而一种新的物质状态--玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚态的实现则获得了2001年诺贝尔奖。当两种这样的冷原子气体混合时，这个领域目前正在研究的一些最有趣的物理学就产生了。然而，在设计保持冷混合物的真空室时存在相互矛盾的要求：需要较高的压力区域来快速收集大量冷原子，并且需要低得多的压力端来存储和研究冷系综。目前用于将原子从装置的一个区域转移到另一个区域的技术具有许多限制;缺乏光学访问以及一种冷物质的存在干扰另一种冷物质的收集。我们希望展示一种替代方法，该方法将允许将两种空间分离的不同冷原子气体快速有效地输送和混合到超高真空区域中。我们的方法规避了目前技术遇到的问题，并提供了一个新的路线，研究超冷混合物。