Thermalization and Sub-Poissonian Density Fluctuations in a Degenerate Molecular Fermi Gas
Abstract
We observe thermalization in the production of a degenerate Fermi gas of polar 40K 87Rb molecules. By measuring the atom-dimer elastic scattering cross section near the Feshbach resonance, we show that Feshbach molecules rapidly reach thermal equilibrium with both parent atomic species. Equilibrium is essentially maintained through coherent transfer to the ground state. Sub-Poissonian density fluctuations in Feshbach and ground-state molecules are measured, giving an independent characterization of degeneracy and directly probing the molecular Fermi-Dirac distribution.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- January 2020
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.033401
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1909.00086
- Bibcode:
- 2020PhRvL.124c3401T
- Keywords:
-
- Condensed Matter - Quantum Gases;
- Physics - Atomic Physics;
- Physics - Chemical Physics
- E-Print:
- 5 pages, 4 figures