Pre-Submission Thesis Presentation

LITHIUM ION-ATOM INTERACTIONS

Speaker: NISHANT JOSHI (PhD Student)

Date and time
Venue
Library Block Lecture Hall

Abstract

Hybrid trap experiments combine the experimental techniques of ultracold atoms and trapped ions allowing for a holistic study of ultracold collisions and their products which can be atoms, molecules, ions, and light. This thesis explores ultracold collisions and chemical reactions involving lithium, both between neutral atoms and between ions and atoms, using a hybrid ion-atom experiment. In this talk I will begin with a brief introduction to the field followed by a discussion about homonuclear ion-atom collisions. I will highlight certain inconsistencies that have emerged over time in the ultracold cross-sections and discuss their resolution. Further, the workings of the lithium hybrid ion-atom experiment will be discussed that includes the preparation of cold atoms, trapping of ions and their detection.  Utilizing the capabilities of the hybrid trap, I will finally discuss how the excitation of 2P3/2 Li MOT atoms to the 3S1/2 state and the subsequent collision of excited 2P3/2 and 3S1/2 lithium atoms leads to the formation of Li2+ ions that decay to Li+ via different pathways. These processes are expected to be active in dilute and degenerate gas experiments where photoexcitation is used to excite atoms to higher states