Observation and control of quantized scattering halos

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how to produce and control quantized scattering halos in a Bose-Einstein condensate by manipulating atom collisions in an optical lattice, revealing quantized halo radii related to lattice periodicity.

Contribution

It introduces a method to engineer and enhance specific collision processes in BECs, achieving control over quantized scattering halos with precise momentum tuning.

Findings

Observation of quantized scattering halos up to six times the lattice momentum scale

Control over collision processes with specific center-of-mass and relative momenta

Demonstration of the link between lattice periodicity and halo radii

Abstract

We investigate the production of s-wave scattering halos from collisions between the momentum components of a Bose-Einstein condensate released from an optical lattice. The lattice periodicity translates in a momentum comb responsible for the quantization of the halos' radii. We report on the engineering of those halos through the precise control of the atom dynamics in the lattice: we are able to specifically enhance collision processes with given center-of-mass and relative momenta. In particular, we observe quantized collision halos between opposite momenta components of increasing magnitude, up to 6 times the characteristic momentum scale of the lattice.