Realization of a cold mixture of fermionic chromium and lithium atoms

Year: 2020

Authors: Neri E., Ciamei A., Simonelli C., Goti I., Inguscio M., Trenkwalder A., Zaccanti M.

Autors Affiliation: Consiglio Nazl Ric INO CNR, Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; European Lab Nonlinear Spect LENS, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Univ Florence, Dept Phys & Astron, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Univ Rome, Dept Engn, Campus Biomed, I-00128 Rome, Italy

Abstract: We report on the production of a cold mixture of fermionic Cr-53 and Li-6 atoms delivered by two Zeeman-slowed atomic beams and collected within a magneto-optical trap (MOT). For lithium, we obtain clouds of up to 4 x 10(8) atoms at temperatures of about 500 mu K. A gray optical molasses stage allows us to decrease the gas temperature down to 45(5) mu K. For chromium, we obtain MOTs of more than 1.1 x 10(6) atoms. The availability of magnetically trappable metastable D states, from which P-state atoms can radiatively decay onto, enables to accumulate into the MOT quadrupole samples of almost 10(7 53)Cr atoms. After repumping D-state atoms back into the cooling cycle, a final cooling stage decreases the chromium temperature down to 145(5) mu K. While the presence of a lithium MOT decreases the lifetime of magnetically trapped Cr-53 atoms, we obtain, within a 5-s duty cycle, samples of about 4 x 10(6) chromium and 3 x 10(8) lithium atoms. Our work provides a crucial step toward the production of degenerate Cr-Li Fermi mixtures.

Journal/Review: PHYSICAL REVIEW A

Volume: 101 (6)      Pages from: 063602-1  to: 063602-14

More Information: We thank T. Pfau, B. Laburthe-Tolra, L. Vernac, and E. Marechal for insightful discussions and for sharing their knowledge of chromium. We acknowledge A. Simoni and D. Petrov for stimulating discussions and for sharing their data on the two-and three-body properties of Cr-Li mixtures. Special thanks to F. Di Noia, A. Cosco, M. Seminara, and M. Jag for their contribution in the early stage of the experiment and to the whole Quantum Gases Group at LENS, in particular G. Roati, for the continuous support. This work was supported by the ERC through Grant No. 637738 PoLiChroM and by the Italian MIUR through the FARE Grant No. R168HMHFYM.
KeyWords: COLD GASES, ATOMIC PHYSICS
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.101.063602

Citations: 13
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