Anharmonic mixing in a magnetic trap

Gommers, R.; Claessens, B. J.; Hawthorn, C. J.; Beijerinck, H. C. W.; Vredenbregt, E. J. D.

Anharmonic mixing in a magnetic trap

Authors

Vredenbregt, E. J. D.

Description

We have experimentally observed re-equilibration of a magnetically trapped cloud of metastable neon atoms after it was put in a non-equilibrium state. Using numerical simulations we show that anharmonic mixing, equilibration due to the collisionless dynamics of atoms in a magnetic trap, is the dominant process in this equilibration. We determine the dependence of its time on trap parameters and atom temperature. Furthermore we observe in the simulations a resonant energy exchange between the radial and axial trap dimensions at a ratio of trap frequencies ω_r / ω_z = 3/2. This resonance is explained by a simple oscillator model.
9 pages, 6 figures