2015/11/30 by Timur V. Tscherbul, Paul Brumer, Alexei A. Buchachenko
Chemistry · Physics and Astronomy · #Ab initio #Atom (system on chip) #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research #Atomic physics #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Hyperfine structure #Ion #Physics #Quantum #Quantum decoherence #Quantum mechanics #Relaxation (psychology) #Spectroscopy and Laser Applications #Spin (aerodynamics) #Ultracold atom #physics.atom-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.117.143201
published as Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 143201 (2016) · 5 pages, 3 figures
openalex publication_date 2016/09/27 · arxiv created 2016/09/28 · arxiv updated 2016/09/29 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We present accurate ab initio and quantum scattering calculations on a prototypical hybrid ion-atom system Yb+-Rb, recently suggested as a promising candidate for the experimental study of open quantum systems, quantum information processing, and quantum simulation. We identify the second-order spin-orbit (SO) interaction as the dominant source of hyperfine relaxation in cold Yb+-Rb collisions. Our results are in good agreement with recent experimental observations [L. Ratschbacher et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 160402 (2013)] of hyperfine relaxation rates of trapped Yb+ immersed in an ultracold Rb gas. The calculated rates are 4 times smaller than is predicted by the Langevin capture theory and display a weak T-0.3 temperature dependence, indicating significant deviations from statistical behavior. Our analysis underscores the deleterious nature of the SO interaction and implies that light ion-atom combinations such as Yb+-Li should be used to minimize hyperfine relaxation and decoherence of trapped ions in ultracold atomic gases.