Search

Physical systems in reduced dimensions exhibit intriguing properties. For instance, the dependences of two-body and many-body physics on scattering lengths are distinct from their counterparts in three dimensions. Whereas many studies of ultracold atoms and molecules in reduced dimensions have been focusing on closed systems, two-body losses may occur in such systems. Here, we show that the two-body inelastic loss rate in reduced dimensions can be expressed in universal relations that are governed by contacts. These universal relations correlate the two-body decay rate with other physical observables at arbitrary temperatures and interaction strengths. Our results will provide experimentalists with a new protocol to study inelastic scatterings in both few- and many-body systems in reduced dimensions., Comment: 11 pages, 3 tables

The length scale separation in dilute quantum gases in quasi-one-dimensional or quasi-two-dimensional traps has spatially divided the system into two distinct regimes. Whereas universal relations defined in strict one or two dimensions apply in a scale that is much larger than the characteristic length of the transverse confinements, physical observables in the short distances are inevitably governed by three-dimensional contacts. Here, we show that p-wave contacts defined in different length scales are intrinsically connected by a universal relation, which depends on a simple geometric factor of the transverse confinements. While this universal relation is derived for one of the p-wave contacts, it establishes a concrete example of how dimensional crossover interplays with contacts and universal relations for arbitrary partial wave scatterings., Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures. A following up work for arXiv:1708.00135. Accepted by PRA

The realization of ultracold polar molecules in laboratories has pushed both physics and chemistry to new realms. In particular, these polar molecules offer scientists unprecedented opportunities to explore chemical reactions in the ultracold regime where quantum effects become profound. However, a key question about how two-body losses depend on quantum correlations in an interacting many-body system remains open so far. Here, we present a number of universal relations that directly connect two-body losses to other physical observables, including the momentum distribution and density correlation functions. These relations, which are valid for arbitrary microscopic parameters, such as the particle number, the temperature, and the interaction strength, unfold the critical role of contacts, a fundamental quantity of dilute quantum systems in determining the reaction rate of quantum reactive molecules in a many-body environment. Our work opens the door to an unexplored area intertwining quantum chemistry, atomic, molecular and optical physics, and condensed matter physics., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

Understanding the effects of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and many-body interactions on spin transport is important in condensed matter physics and spintronics. This topic has been intensively studied for spin carriers such as electrons but barely explored for charge-neutral bosonic quasiparticles (including their condensates), which hold promises for coherent spin transport over macroscopic distances. Here, we explore the effects of synthetic SOC (induced by optical Raman coupling) and atomic interactions on the spin transport in an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), where the spin-dipole mode (SDM, actuated by quenching the Raman coupling) of two interacting spin components constitutes an alternating spin current. We experimentally observe that SOC significantly enhances the SDM damping while reducing the thermalization (the reduction of the condensate fraction). We also observe generation of BEC collective excitations such as shape oscillations. Our theory reveals that the SOC-modified interference, immiscibility, and interaction between the spin components can play crucial roles in spin transport.

In quasi-one- or quasi-two-dimensional traps with strong transverse confinements, quantum gases behave like strictly one- or two-dimensional systems at large length scales. However, at short distance, the two-body scattering intrinsically has three-dimensional characteristics such that an exact description of any universal thermodynamic relation requires three-dimensional contacts, no matter how strong the confinement is. A fundamental question arises as to whether one- or two-dimensional contacts, which were originally defined for strictly one or two dimensions, are capable of describing quantum gases in quasi-one- or quasi-two-dimensional traps. Here, we point out an exact relation between the three- and low-dimensional contacts in these highly anisotropic traps. Such relation allows us to directly connect physical quantities at different length scales, and to characterise the quasi-one- or quasi-two-dimensional traps using universal thermodynamic relations that were derived for strict one or two dimensions.