Parameters for Cold Collisions of Lithium and Caesium Atoms

TL;DR

This paper computes key scattering parameters for lithium and cesium atoms using quantum scattering theory, providing essential data for cold collision experiments and addressing computational challenges in parameter determination.

Contribution

It introduces a method to accurately calculate scattering lengths, effective ranges, and volumes for Li-Cs interactions considering long-range dispersion effects.

Findings

Calculated s-wave scattering length and effective range for Li-Cs

Determined p-wave scattering volume for Li-Cs

Discussed numerical issues in scattering length calculations

Abstract

We calculate the s-wave scattering length and effective range and the p-wave scattering volume for $^7$Li atoms interacting with $^{133}$Cs atoms via the X$^1\Sigma^+_g$ molecular potential. The length and volume are found by fitting the log-derivative of the zero energy wave function evaluated at short range to a long range expression that accounts for the leading van der Waals dispersion potential and then incorporating the remaining long range dispersion contributions to first order. The effective range is evaluated from a quadrature formula. The calculated parameters are checked from the zero energy limits of the scattering phase shifts. We comment on ill-conditioning in the calculated s-wave scattering length.