Apparatur for quantum-mixture research in microgravity
B. Piest1,2, J. Böhm1, T. Estrampes1,3, P. Guggilam1, A. Picheriy1, P. Arciszewski4, W. Bartosch1, S. Boles5, K. Döringshoff4, M. Elsen6, O. Hellmig7, C. Kürbis8, D. Leopold1, G. Müller1, A. Papkonstantinou1, C. Reichelt1, A. Wenzlawski5, T. Wendrich1, E. Charron3, C. Lotz9, A. Peters4, K. Sengstock7, A. Wicht8, P. Windpassinger5, J. Grosse6, N. Gaaloul1, and E.M. Rasel1
Published in:
Nat Commun, vol. 17, pp. 7573, doi:10.1038/s41467-026-75968-9 (2026).
Abstract:
Experiments with ultracold quantum gases are a rapidly advancing research field with many applications in fundamental physics and quantum technology. Here, we report on a high-flux generation of Bose-Einstein condensate mixtures of 41K and 87Rb, using a fully integrated sounding rocket setup. We compare the release and the free expansion of the quantum mixtures obtained with the apparatus placed on ground or in free fall in an Einstein-Elevator. The release dynamics are governed by the intra- and interspecies interactions as well as the decaying magnetic field during the release. The latter can be minimized by a dedicated switch-off protocol of the trap generating currents where an exact model enabled us to characterize the interaction effects. Our results establish a new benchmark for generating ultracold mixtures on mobile platforms, with direct relevance for future experiments on interacting quantum gases and tests of the equivalence principle in space.
1 Institut für Quantenoptik, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Germany
2 LTE, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
3 Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d'Orsay, Orsay, France
4 Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
5 Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany
6 Zentrum für angewandte Raumfahrttechnologie und Mikrogravitation, Universität Bremen, Bremen, Germany
7 Institut für Quantenphysik, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
8 Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH), Berlin, Germany
9 Institut für Transport und Automatisierungstechnik (ITA), Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Germany
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