Abstract

Recent advances in optical stopping and trapping of particles now permit the investigation of atom collision dynamics at temperatures below 1 mK. We discuss three specific examples of inelastic processes appropriate for study in this new energy domain: radiative association; collisional heating; and associative ionization. Theoretical study of radiative association and collisional heating demonstrate new quantal features apparent in the total inelastic cross section due to the small number of partial waves contributing to the nuclear motion. We present the first experimental observation of an inelastic process, associative ionization between excited sodium atoms, and report a measure of the absolute cross section ~3 orders of magnitude larger than the cross section measured in conventional conditions.

© 1988 Optical Society of America