# Collision-Induced Spin Depolarization of Alkali-metal Atoms in Cold $$^3$$He Gas

 Title: Collision-Induced Spin Depolarization of Alkali-metal Atoms in Cold $$^3$$He Gas Author: Tscherbul, T.V.; Zhang, Peng; Sadeghpour, Hossein R.; Dalgarno, Alexander; Brahms, N.; Au, Yat Shan; Doyle, John M. Note: Order does not necessarily reflect citation order of authors. Citation: Tscherbul, T.V., Peng Zhang, Hossein R. Sadeghpour, Alexander Dalgarno, N. Brahms, Yat Shan Au, and John M. Doyle. 2008. Collision-induced spin depolarization of alkali-metal atoms in cold $$^3$$He gas. Physical Review A 78(6): 060703(R). Full Text & Related Files: PRA78_060703.pdf (145.1Kb; PDF) Abstract: We present a joint experimental and theoretical study of spin depolarization in collisions of alkali-metal atoms with $$^3$$He in a magnetic field. A rigorous quantum theory for spin-changing transitions is developed and applied to calculate the spin exchange and spin relaxation rates of Li and K atoms in cryogenic $$^3$$He gas. Magnetic trapping experiments provide upper bounds to the spin exchange rates for Li-$$^3$$He and K-$$^3$$He, which are in agreement with the present theory. Our calculations demonstrate that the alkali-metal atoms have extremely slow spin depolarization rates, suggesting a number of potential applications in precision spectroscopy and quantum optics. Published Version: doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.78.060703 Terms of Use: This article is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of-use#LAA Citable link to this page: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:5349608

### This item appears in the following Collection(s)

• FAS Scholarly Articles [6036]
Peer reviewed scholarly articles from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Harvard University