Connolly, ColinAu, Yat ShanDoret, S. CharlesKetterle, WolfgangDoyle, John2013-09-192010Connolly, Colin B., Yat Shan Au, S. Charles Doret, Wolfgang Ketterle, and John M. Doyle. 2010. Large spin relaxation rates in trapped submerged-shell atoms. Physical Review A 81(1): 010702.1050-2947http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:11073734Spin relaxation due to atom–atom collisions is measured for magnetically trapped erbium and thulium atoms at a temperature near 500 mK. The rate constants for Er–Er and Tm–Tm collisions are 3.0×10\(^{-10}\) and 1.1×10\(^{-10}\) cm\(^3\) s\(^{-1}\), respectively, 2–3 orders of magnitude larger than those observed for highly magnetic S-state atoms. This is strong evidence for an additional, dominant, spin relaxation mechanism, electronic interaction anisotropy, in collisions between these “submerged-shell,” L≠0 atoms. These large spin relaxation rates imply that evaporative cooling of these atoms in a magnetic trap will be highly inefficient.en-USJournal Article2013-09-1910.1103/PhysRevA.81.010702