Letter abstract
Nature Physics 5, 227 - 230 (2009)
Published online: 22 February 2009 | doi:10.1038/nphys1203
Subject Categories: Atomic and molecular physics | Nuclear physics
Observation of an Efimov-like trimer resonance in ultracold atom–dimer scattering
S. Knoop1, F. Ferlaino1, M. Mark1, M. Berninger1, H. Schöbel1, H.-C. Nägerl1 & R. Grimm1,2
The field of few-body physics has originally been motivated by understanding nuclear matter, but in the past few years ultracold gases with tunable interactions have emerged as model systems to experimentally explore few-body quantum systems1, 2, 3. Even though the energy scales involved are vastly different for ultracold and nuclear matter (picoelectronvolt as compared with megaelectronvolt), few-body phenomena acquire universal properties for near-resonant two-body interactions2. So-called Efimov states represent a paradigm for universal quantum states in the three-body sector4. After decades of theoretical work, a first experimental signature of such a weakly bound trimer state was recently found under conditions where a weakly bound dimer state is absent5, 6, 7. Here, we report on a trimer state in the opposite regime, where such a dimer state exists. The trimer state manifests itself in a resonant enhancement of inelastic collisions in a mixture of atoms and dimers. Our observation is closely related to an atom–dimer resonance as predicted by Efimov8, 9, 10, but occurs in the theoretically challenging regime where the trimer spectrum reveals effects beyond the universal limit.
- Institut für Experimentalphysik und Zentrum für Quantenphysik, Universität Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Institut für Quantenoptik und Quanteninformation, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Correspondence to: S. Knoop1 e-mail: steven.knoop@uibk.ac.at
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