Spin distillation cooling of ultracold Bose gases

Tomasz Świsłocki,Piotr Deuar,Mariusz Gajda,Mirosław Brewczyk

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-85298-z

Abstract

We study the spin distillation of spinor gases of bosonic atoms and find two different mechanisms in {}^{52}Cr and ^{23}Na atoms, both of which can cool effectively. The first mechanism involves dipolar scattering into initially unoccupied spin states and cools only above a threshold magnetic field. The second proceeds via equilibrium relaxation of the thermal cloud into empty spin states, reducing its proportion in the initial component. It cools only below a threshold magnetic field. The technique was initially demonstrated experimentally for a chromium dipolar gas (Naylor et al. in Phys Rev Lett 115:243002, 2015), whereas here we develop the concept further and provide an in-depth understanding of the required physics and limitations involved. Through numerical simulations, we reveal the mechanisms involved and demonstrate that the spin distillation cycle can be repeated several times, each time resulting in a significant additional reduction of the thermal atom fraction. Threshold values of magnetic field and predictions for the achievable temperature are also identified.

Highlights

Since the time when the phenomenon of Bose–Einstein condensation was first p redicted[1,2], different methods of cooling have been developed, which eventually enabled the observation of the transition to a condensate
Thermal atoms are much more likely to depolarize than condensate atoms because of the threshold energy for this process set by the Zeeman energy
The cooling simulations start with thermal clouds of atoms in a 3d harmonic trap polarized in a single spin state, which is ms = −3 for for chromium and mF = 0 for sodium

Summary

Introduction

Since the time when the phenomenon of Bose–Einstein condensation was first p redicted[1,2], different methods of cooling have been developed, which eventually enabled the observation of the transition to a condensate. The cooling simulations start with thermal clouds of atoms in a 3d harmonic trap polarized in a single spin state, which is ms = −3 for for chromium and mF = 0 for sodium.

Results

Conclusion