Avalanche-mechanism loss at an atom-molecule Efimov resonance

Ming-Guang Hu, Ruth S. Bloom, Deborah S. Jin, and Jonathan M. Goldwin
Phys. Rev. A 90, 013619 – Published 18 July 2014

Abstract

The avalanche mechanism has been used to relate Efimov trimer states to certain enhanced atom loss features observed in ultracold-atom-gas experiments. These atom loss features are argued to be a signature of resonant atom-molecule scattering that occurs when an Efimov trimer is degenerate with the atom-molecule scattering threshold. However, observation of these atom loss features has yet to be combined with the direct observation of atom-molecule resonant scattering for any particular atomic species. In addition, recent Monte Carlo simulations were unable to reproduce a narrow loss feature. We experimentally search for enhanced atom loss features near an established scattering resonance between K40 Rb87 Feshbach molecules and Rb87 atoms. Our measurements of both the three-body recombination rate in a gas of K40 and Rb87 atoms and the ratio of the number loss for the two species do not show any broad loss feature and are therefore inconsistent with theoretical predictions that use the avalanche mechanism.

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  • Received 19 May 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.90.013619

©2014 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Ming-Guang Hu, Ruth S. Bloom, and Deborah S. Jin

  • JILA, NIST, and University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA and Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA

Jonathan M. Goldwin

  • Midlands Ultracold Atom Research Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom

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Vol. 90, Iss. 1 — July 2014

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