Apparatus for quantum-mixture research in microgravity
Abstract
Abstract Experiments with ultracold quantum gases are a rapidly advancing research field with many applications in fundamental physics and quantum technology. Here, we report on a high-flux generation of Bose-Einstein condensate mixtures of 41 K and 87 Rb, using a fully integrated sounding rocket setup. We compare the release and the free expansion of the quantum mixtures obtained with the apparatus placed on ground or in free fall in an Einstein-Elevator. The release dynamics are governed by the intra- and interspecies interactions as well as the decaying magnetic field during the release. The latter can be minimized by a dedicated switch-off protocol of the trap generating currents where an exact model enabled us to characterize the interaction effects. Our results establish a new benchmark for generating ultracold mixtures on mobile platforms, with direct relevance for future experiments on interacting quantum gases and tests of the equivalence principle in space.
Article Details
Authors (27)
Baptist Piest
Jonas Böhm
Timothé Estrampes
Priyanka Guggilam
Annie Pichery
Paweł Arciszewski
Wolfgang Bartosch
Sören Boles
Klaus Döringshoff
Michael Elsen
Ortwin Hellmig
Christian Kürbis
Dorthe Leopoldt
Gabriel Müller
Alexandros Papakonstantinou
Christian Reichelt
André Wenzlawski
Thijs Wendrich
Éric Charron
Christoph Lotz
Achim Peters
Klaus Sengstock
Andreas Wicht
Patrick Windpassinger
Jens Grosse
Naceur Gaaloul
Ernst Maria Rasel