TRAP-LOSS COLLISIONS OF ULTRACOLD LITHIUM ATOMS

Accurate measurements are presented of the rate of trap-loss-producing collisions between ultracold magneto-optically trapped Li7 atoms for a range of trap laser intensities and frequencies. Intensities from near the atomic saturation intensity to well above it are investigated. At low intensities, fine-structure-changing collisions cause trap loss with a rate constant of ∼10-10 cm3/s. At sufficiently high intensity, the trap can be deep enough to effectively freeze out the dominant fine-structure-changing collisions as a loss mechanism, enabling an accurate comparison of the radiative escape loss rate with theory. At the lowest intensities of this radiative escape regime, the measured loss rates compare favorably with those calculated using an optical Bloch equation theory and a three-dimensional model of trap depth. However, the intensity dependence of the measured rates does not show the saturation predicted by the optical Bloch equation theory. It is shown that reliable knowledge of trap depth is necessary to accurately compare experiment with theory. © 1995 The American Physical Society.