Spin distillation cooling of ultracold Bose gases

• Main Authors: Tomasz Świsłocki, Mariusz Gajda, Mirosław Brewczyk, Piotr Deuar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Publishing Group 2021-03-01
• Series: Scientific Reports
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85298-z

Abstract We study the spin distillation of spinor gases of bosonic atoms and find two different mechanisms in $${}^{52}$$ 52 Cr and $$^{23}$$ 23 Na atoms, both of which can cool effectively. The first mechanism involves dipolar scattering into initially unoccupied spin states and cools only above a threshold magnetic field. The second proceeds via equilibrium relaxation of the thermal cloud into empty spin states, reducing its proportion in the initial component. It cools only below a threshold magnetic field. The technique was initially demonstrated experimentally for a chromium dipolar gas (Naylor et al. in Phys Rev Lett 115:243002, 2015), whereas here we develop the concept further and provide an in-depth understanding of the required physics and limitations involved. Through numerical simulations, we reveal the mechanisms involved and demonstrate that the spin distillation cycle can be repeated several times, each time resulting in a significant additional reduction of the thermal atom fraction. Threshold values of magnetic field and predictions for the achievable temperature are also identified.