Measurement of Rb-Rb van der Waals coefficient via Quantum Diffractive Universality

TL;DR

This paper uses the principle of collision universality to accurately measure the van der Waals coefficient for Rb-Rb interactions, confirming theoretical predictions and demonstrating a method for precise atomic interaction characterization.

Contribution

The study applies collision universality to measure the Rb-Rb van der Waals coefficient, providing an experimental validation of theoretical values with high precision.

Findings

Measured the total collision rate coefficient for Rb-Rb collisions.

Deduced the van der Waals coefficient C6 in agreement with theoretical predictions.

Validated collision universality as a tool for atomic interaction measurements.

Abstract

Collisions between trapped atoms or trapped molecules with room temperature particles in the surrounding vacuum induce loss of the trapped population at a rate proportional to the density of the background gas particles. The total velocity-averaged loss rate coefficient $\langle \sigma_\mathrm{tot} v \rangle$ for such collisions and the variation of the loss rate with trap depth has been shown to depend only on the long range interaction potential between the collision partners. This collision universality was previously used to realize a self-calibrating, atom-based, primary pressure standard and was validated by indirect comparison with an orifice flow standard. Here, we use collision universality to measure $\langle \sigma_\mathrm{tot} v \rangle = 6.44(11)(5) \times 10^{-15}~\rm{m^3/s}$ for Rb-Rb collisions and deduce the corresponding $C_6 = 4688(198)(95)~E_ha_0^6$, in excellent agreement with predictions based upon $\textit{ab initio}$ calculated and previously measured $C_6$ values.