Manipulating scattering of ultracold atoms with light-induced dissipation

TL;DR

This paper investigates how laser-induced dissipation can create effective potentials that bind ultracold atoms into molecules with specific properties on short timescales, enabling new control over atomic interactions.

Contribution

It derives the effective dissipative potentials between ultracold atoms and demonstrates rapid formation of dissipatively-bound molecules with predetermined characteristics.

Findings

Binding occurs within ~10 microseconds.

Dissipative potentials enable molecule formation even with high initial kinetic energy.

Predefined bond lengths and vibrational states can be achieved.

Abstract

Recently it has been shown that pairs of atoms can form metastable bonds due to non-conservative forces induced by dissipation [Lemeshko&Weimer, Nature Comm. 4, 2230 (2013)]. Here we study the dynamics of interaction-induced coherent population trapping - the process responsible for the formation of dissipatively bound molecules. We derive the effective dissipative potentials induced between ultracold atoms by laser light, and study the time evolution of the scattering states. We demonstrate that binding occurs on short timescales of ~10 microseconds, even if the initial kinetic energy of the atoms significantly exceeds the depth of the dissipative potential. Dissipatively-bound molecules with preordained bond lengths and vibrational wavefunctions can be created and detected in current experiments with ultracold atoms.