2019/09/18 by J. Schmidt, P. Weckesser, F. Thielemann +2 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #physics.atom-ph #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.124.053402
published as Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 053402 (2020)
arxiv created 2019/09/18 · arxiv updated 2020/02/12
We report the trapping of ultracold neutral Rb atoms and Ba+ ions in a common optical potential in absence of any radiofrequency (RF) fields. We prepare Ba+ at 370 ~ μK and demonstrate efficient sympathetic cooling by 100 ~ μK after one collision. Our approach is currently limited by the Rb density and related three-body losses, but it overcomes the fundamental limitation in RF traps set by RF-driven, micromotion-induced heating. It is applicable to a wide range of ion-atom species, and may enable novel ultracold chemistry experiments and complex many-body dynamics.