Apparatus for quantum-mixture research in microgravity
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.
Details
- Organisationseinheit(en)
-
Institut für Quantenoptik
Quantum Sensing
Laboratorium für Nano- und Quantenengineering
Production in Space
QUEST Leibniz Forschungsschule
QuantumFrontiers
PhoenixD: Simulation, Fabrikation und Anwendung optischer Systeme
- Externe Organisation(en)
-
Observatoire de Paris (OBSPARIS)
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU Berlin)
Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
Universität Bremen
Universität Hamburg
Ferdinand-Braun-Institut gGmbH, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik (FBH)
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
- Typ
- Artikel
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Band
- 17
- ISSN
- 2041-1723
- Publikationsdatum
- 28.07.2026
- Publikationsstatus
- Veröffentlicht
- Peer-reviewed
- Ja
- ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
- Allgemeine Chemie, Allgemeine Biochemie, Genetik und Molekularbiologie, Allgemein, Allgemeine Physik und Astronomie
- Elektronische Version(en)
-
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-75968-9 (Zugang:
Offen
)
