Observation of collisions between cold Li atoms and Yb$^+$ ions
J. Joger, H. F\"urst, N. Ewald, T. Feldker, M. Tomza, R. Gerritsma

TL;DR
This study observes cold collisions between $^6$Li atoms and Yb$^+$ ions, demonstrating low charge transfer rates in ground states and providing insights into atom-ion interactions relevant for quantum technologies.
Contribution
It provides the first experimental measurements of collision rates between $^6$Li and Yb$^+$ ions, and combines these with ab initio calculations to explain the interaction potentials and reaction dynamics.
Findings
Charge transfer rate is at least 10^3 times smaller than the Langevin collision rate for ground states.
Reaction rates for excited states are dominated by charge transfer and are energy-independent in the 1-120 mK range.
Ab initio calculations qualitatively explain the low charge transfer rates and interaction potentials.
Abstract
We report on the observation of cold collisions between Li atoms and Yb ions. This combination of species has recently been proposed as the most suitable for reaching the quantum limit in hybrid atom-ion systems, due to its large mass ratio. For atoms and ions prepared in the ground state, the charge transfer and association rate is found to be at least~10 times smaller than the Langevin collision rate. These results confirm the excellent prospects of Li--Yb for sympathetic cooling and quantum information applications. For ions prepared in the excited electronic states , and , we find that the reaction rate is dominated by charge transfer and does not depend on the ionic isotope nor the collision energy in the range ~1--120~mK. The low charge transfer rate for ground state collisions is corroborated by theory, but…
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