Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Ultracold ion-atom experiments: cooling, chemistry, and quantum effects

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Experimental setups that study laser-cooled ions immersed in baths of ultracold atoms merge the two exciting and well-established fields of quantum gases and trapped ions. These experiments benefit both from the exquisite read-out and control of the few-body ion systems as well as the many-body aspects, tunable interactions, and ultracold temperatures of the atoms. However, combining the two leads to challenges both in the experimental design and the physics that can be studied. Nevertheless, these systems have provided insights into ion-atom collisions, buffer gas cooling of ions and quantum effects in the ion-atom interaction. This makes them promising candidates for ultracold quantum chemistry studies, creation of cold molecular ions for spectroscopy and precision measurements, and as test beds for quantum simulation of charged impurity physics. In this review we aim to provide an experimental account of recent progress and introduce the experimental setup and techniques that enabled the observation of quantum effects.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAdvances In Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
EditorsLouis F. DiMauro, Hélène Perrin, Susanne F. Yelin
PublisherElsevier
Chapter2
Pages65-133
Number of pages69
ISBN (Print)9780323988438
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2022
Externally publishedYes

Publication series

NameAdvances in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
Volume71
ISSN (Print)1049-250X

Funding

We are grateful to Eleanor Trimby for running the simulations of Table 3 and careful reading of the manuscript. We thank Susanne Yelin, Leon Karpa, Jesús Pérez-Ríos and Tobias Schätz, Michał Tomza and Florian Meinert for comments on the manuscript. This work is supported by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (Start-up grant 740.018.008, and Vrije Programma 680.92.18.05 (R.G.)) and by funding from the European Unions Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 895473 (R.S.L.).

FundersFunder number
European Union's Horizon 2020 - Research and Innovation Framework Programme
Marie Skłodowska‐Curie895473
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek680.92.18.05, 740.018.008
European Union's Horizon 2020 - Research and Innovation Framework Programme

    Keywords

    • buffer gas cooling
    • cold collisions
    • ion-atom interactions
    • molecular ions
    • quantum gases
    • trapped ions
    • ultracold atoms

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Ultracold ion-atom experiments: cooling, chemistry, and quantum effects'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this