Controlling the s-wave scattering length with non-resonant light: Predictions of an asymptotic model

TL;DR

This paper uses an asymptotic model to predict how non-resonant light can control the s-wave scattering length between atoms, enabling tuning of atomic interactions and identifying intensities where the scattering length diverges.

Contribution

It applies an asymptotic model to predict the variation and divergence points of the scattering length under non-resonant light for atomic pairs.

Findings

Scattering length varies with light intensity for strontium isotopes.

Predicted intensities where the scattering length becomes infinite.

Validated the asymptotic model's accuracy for long-range interactions.

Abstract

A pair of atoms interacts with non-resonant light via its anisotropic polarizability. This effect can be used to tune the scattering properties of the atoms. Although the light-atom interaction varies with interatomic separation as $1/R^{3}$, the effective s-wave potential decreases more rapidly, as $1/R^{4}$ such that the field-dressed scattering length can be determined without any formal difficulty. The scattering dynamics are essentially governed by the long-range part of the interatomic interaction and can thus be accurately described by an asymptotic model [Crubellier et al., New J. Phys. 17, 045020 (2015)]. Here we use the asymptotic model to determine the field-dressed scattering length from the s-wave radial component of a particular threshold wave function. Applying our theory to the scattering of two strontium isotopes, we calculate the variation of the scattering length with the intensity of the non-resonant light. Moreover, we predict the intensities at which the scattering length becomes infinite for any pair of atoms.