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ESF Completed Network 1. Network title Collisions in Atom Traps (CATS) 2. Convenor 3. Network Budget 90,000 Euros 4. Duration October 2003 to November 2006 (last activity) 5. Summary of Network Activities Conferences 2004 2005 Ultracold Chemistry - An EPS Exploratory Workshop 2006 Graduate workshop on Cold Atoms, Cold molecules and Optical Lattices After an initial meeting in Strasbourg (November 2003) Steering Committee meetings were held annually at the scheduled
meetings; Durham 2004; Paris 2005, les Houches in 2006. Other correspondence was held by email. Grants 6. Publications (including electronic media), Newsletters, etc.
arising from the Network 7. Other outputs The Network also arranged an ESF Exploratory Meeting on Ultracold Chemistry, held in Mulhouse at European Physical Society, 6 -10 February 2005 (see above). This was the first time that a meeting had been held in Europe to discuss the prospects of exploring chemistry at ultra low temperatures with cold atoms/molecules. This field is now being developed as a topic for further applications to EU Funding agencies. 8. Benefits derived from this collaboration at the European level The major benefits of this Network have been to bring together researchers from two different communities, the collisions community and the cold atom community. This has allowed new directions to be explored e.g. role of collisions in traps leading to molecular formation and the possible development of a new field of cold chemistry. The developing field of ultracold plasmas has also benefited through EU staff exchanges and meetings (at conferences) with US community to allow such systems to be developed in several new EU laboratories. 9. Future plans/proposals for development of the Network science This Network is now continuing under the ESF Cold Quantum Matter (EuroQUAM) Eurocore. The Network partners have also established a network that maintains their links ‘International Cold Atom Network (INTERCAN)’ http://www.intercan.org/ Further applications are planned under the forthcoming Framework VII. 10. Brief outline of scientific achievements The ability to cool, trap and manipulate atoms, culminating in the successful formation of Bose-Einstein condensates, has been one of the most exciting advances in the field of atomic and molecular and optical physics in the late 20th century. Such experimental advances are pioneering instrumentation on the atomic and nanoscale (e.g. development of atomic interferometers) opening the possibility of developing new technologies e.g. atom lasers, quantum computing, quantum cryptology and teleportation. However the future development of sources of trapped atoms requires an understanding of the interaction of atoms within the trap and their stimulation/manipulation by external media (e.g. lasers and electrons). Thus to develop the next generation of trapped atom devices and further cold atom research in general it is necessary to understand collisional processes in traps. The role of collisions in atom traps has, until recently, been viewed mainly as detrimental - leading to trapped atom losses - but recently experiments and new theoretical formalisms suggest that collisions between the trapped atoms, between trapped atoms and external stimulation phenomena and between cold atoms and external surface media may lead to new physico-chemical phenomena that may in turn lead to exciting new fields of study in atomic, molecular, optical and condensed matter physics. for example there is considerable interest in the formation of cold molecules by photoassociation spectroscopy leading to molecular condensates and the ionisation of cold atoms in traps has led to the development of a new class of matter – ultracold plasmas which are dominated by electron -ion/atom interactions collisions). In April 2002 an ESF exploratory workshop was held bringing together researchers from the European collision physics community and researchers involved in trapped atom studies. This was the first time that these two communities were brought together for a specified workshop. The meeting revealed the similarities between these two areas of modern physics and highlighted how one community can (and should) learn from the other. For younger researchers it was a particularly fruitful interaction as they had not previously has the opportunity to interact with members of the other community since the conferences and workshops they normally attended were much more narrower in their scope. For further collaboration to develop between these communities, forums for cross disciplinary discussions and technology/skills transfer are needed. The ESF Network programme CATS (Collisions in Atom Traps) has provided such a forum. The Network has concentrated upon arranging meetings that bring together people from these two communities to develop new research ideas and to learn from one another techniques and skills. An important part of this programme has been the provision of short visits. Initially these were arranged as short ‘acquaintance’ meetings (lasting a few days) aimed at establishing new links and allowing groups to view its others facilities but in the latter part of the Network slightly longer visits (up to two weeks) were arranged to allow some joint research projects to be developed. The first publications from such visits are now appearing in the literature. The research was originally focused on 6 themes
A Meeting was arranged for each of these topics, The Meeting on Cold atoms and Bose Einstein Condensates was arranged in collaboration with two EU Networks and was a major International forum (>120 attending) Bose-Einstein Condensation: from Atoms to Molecules 30 March - 3 April 2004, Durham, United Kingdom . A special meeting was arranged to discuss the potential for developing ultra cold plasmas At the Frontier of Cold Rydberg Gases and Ultracold Plasmas (Ultracold PARYS) Monday 14 to Wednesday 16 March 2005, Gif-sur-Yvette, Nr. Paris, France. The rapid advance in the preparation of cold molecules was recognised by two meetings in 2006, Achievements and Perspectives of Cold Molecules February 26-March 10 2006, Les Houches, France and Ultracold Chemistry - An EPS Exploratory Workshop Sunday 6th to Thursday 10th February 2005, Mulhouse, France. The latter being the first meeting to specifically discuss the prospect of developing chemistry with ultracold species. A concluding meeting was arranged to allow younger researchers to present their work (including work undertaken in short visits) and to discuss in an informal atmosphere future directions, techniques etc. This was held in Oxford, UK November 22-23 and was restricted to 25 people. Publications arising from CATS Network A Molecular Synchrotron Scattering of electrons from gas-phase N2O: Computed cross sections and angular distributions in comparison with experiments Scattering of electrons from gas-phase OCS: Comparing computed angular distributions and elastic cross sections with experiments Low energy electron scattering from gaseous CS2 : Angular distribution and effects of exchange forces Use of Rydberg atoms to control electron temperatures in ultracold plasmas Optical ferris wheel for ultracold atoms A Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer for Experiments with Ultracold Gases
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