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Scattering lengths for spin-polarized metastable helium-3 and helium-4

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Alan Dickinson

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Abstract

Upper and lower bounds are estimated for the scattering length, a, for the various isotopes of spin-polarized metastable helium. From a previous study involving various large basis sets and two ab initio approaches, and paying special attention to combine them with the accurate long-range potential, we get, for 4He*-4He* collisions (in Bohr) 152 < 4-4a < 230 and for 3He*- 3He* collisions 94 < 3-3 a < 113, while a surprising result arises for mixed collisions, 3He*-4He*, 3-4a < -488 and 3-4a > 865. Indeed, the scattering length for this species is very close to the divergence occurring at the binding of a 14th vibrational level. Within these limits, our approach suggests that the values for 4-4a and 3-3a are closer to their upper bounds than to their lower bounds, and that the value for 3-4a is negative and very large (<500) in magnitude. Sympathetic cooling could therefore be very efficient for the mixed species. Cooling-rate coefficients are also evaluated: they are large, of order 10-9 cm3 s-1 at mK temperatures for all combinations.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Dickinson AS, Gadea FX, Leininger T

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics

Year: 2004

Volume: 37

Issue: 3

Pages: 587-593

ISSN (print): 0953-4075

ISSN (electronic): 1361-6455

Publisher: Institute of Physics Publishing Ltd

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0953-4075/37/3/005

DOI: 10.1088/0953-4075/37/3/005

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