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Project

Environment-Assisted Electron Capture in Bose-Einstein Condensates

This project seeks to calculate interatomic coulombic electron capture by a barium (II) cation in a Bose-Einstein condensate of neutral rubidium atoms.
Interatomic coulombic electron capture is the non-local process of attachment of a free electron to the cation mediated by ionisation of an atom from the environment. 
The process has yet only been investigated theoretically, but many-partner interatomic coulombic electron capture can change our understanding of biochemistry fundamentally and may prove to be the solution toward the next step in technological development of smaller miniature components for computer processing units.
This project is inspired by the BaRbIE experiment carried out at Ulm University in Germany. The experiment investigates this hybrid ultracold atom system and observed electronic transitions between barium and rubidium despite their low temperature.
These experimental conditions are beyond currently established computational approaches due to the large interatomic distance and huge number of coherent interaction partners.
A theoretical prediction is needed to carry out a meaningful measurement of interatomic coulombic electron capture.
This project is essential for reliable predictions of interatomic coulombic electron capture in a many-partner environment and aims to foster the first experimental measurement.

Date:1 Oct 2021 →  Today
Keywords:open quantum system, environment-assisted electron capture, ultracold atoms
Disciplines:Molecular physics, Degenerate quantum gases and atom optics, Quantum chemistry