Interactions of an ultracold gas of atoms with ions and a cavity
Dr. Rahul Sawant (LAMP, Raman Research Institute, Bangalore, India)

The goal of the work I will be presenting is to develop techniques for the study of interactions between particles at ultracold temperatures. Our experiment allows simultaneous trapping and cooling of atoms, ions, molecules, and light. The objective was to start a systematic investigation of combinations of atoms, ions, molecules, and light with an emphasis on the development of new detection techniques for studies of interactions. Specifically, we performed an experiment to demonstrate collisional cooling of trapped ions by a localized ensemble of ultracold atoms whose mass is heavier than the ions. Monte-Carlo simulations were performed which modeled the cooling process and provided insights for more efficient ways to cool the ions. An optical and nondestructive method to detect these ions and other particles is essential to increase the efficiency and versatility of the experiments. With this possibility in mind, we also explore various interactions between atoms and light trapped inside a Fabry-Perot cavity. One such study which I will discuss in the talk was the demonstration of lasing from driven atoms placed inside a cavity. Additionally, the creation of molecules inside a Fabry-Perot cavity was demonstrated, and a scheme for detection of ultracold molecules was devised.