Minimal model of sticky collisions in modulated optical traps
Abstract
Collisional loss of ultracold bialkali molecules is predicted to occur through photo-excitation of collision complexes. However, recent measurements in modulated optical traps report an unexpected lack of excess survival, at odds with theoretical predictions and earlier experiments. We develop a minimal quantum scattering model that treats collisions as a coherent process occurring in the presence of the modulated trap. We demonstrate that quantum reflection from the long-range potential fundamentally alters loss dynamics, removing the tension between recent experiments and predicted sticking times. This framework provides new testable predictions such as a strong dependence on collision energy, initial molecular state, and long-range interactions, that are absent in the currently used phenomenological model.
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BibTeX
@misc{jozwiak2026minimal,
title = {{Minimal model of sticky collisions in modulated optical traps}},
author = {Hubert J. Jóźwiak and Tijs Karman},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.41075},
eprint = {2610.41075},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.41075},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Minimal model of sticky collisions in modulated optical traps
AU - Hubert J. Jóźwiak
AU - Tijs Karman
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.41075
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.41075
AB - Collisional loss of ultracold bialkali molecules is predicted to occur through photo-excitation of collision complexes. However, recent measurements in modulated optical traps report an unexpected lack of excess survival, at odds with theoretical predictions and earlier experiments. We develop a minimal quantum scattering model that treats collisions as a coherent process occurring in the presence of the modulated trap. We demonstrate that quantum reflection from the long-range potential fundamentally alters loss dynamics, removing the tension between recent experiments and predicted sticking times. This framework provides new testable predictions such as a strong dependence on collision energy, initial molecular state, and long-range interactions, that are absent in the currently used phenomenological model.
ER -