Tuning of interactions between Cs atoms in an atom chip setup

Abstract

Atomic interactions represent one of the most crucial aspects in the physics of cold atoms: Their role becomes increasingly important as atomic samples are cooled and the effects of their thermal motion substantially diminish. Collisions between the slow particles induce energy shifts and reduce coherence times, thereby limiting the precision and accuracy of measurements of the atoms’ internal structure and their coupling to external fields. Understanding the nature and quantifying the impact of such interactions is therefore vital for the proper definition of SI units and determination of fundamental constants, the detection of small effects, and the validation or revision of physical models. The exhaustive study of the relevant scattering phenomena not only provides insight into the underlying physics and their consequences, but also reveals the possibility to take control of the essential collision properties. Thus, atomic interactions can in fact be tuned for the purpose of attenuating their detrimental contribution or even accessing the benefits linked to specific scattering regimes. In combination with the ver-satile manipulation and the flexible trapping of cold atoms, systems that offer such exceptional control are of particular interest for the growing field of quantum metrology.