Scattering of Cold-Atom Coherences by Hot Atoms: Frequency Shifts from Background-Gas Collisions
Scattering of Cold-Atom Coherences by Hot Atoms: Frequency Shifts from Background-Gas Collisions
Frequency shifts from background-gas collisions currently contribute significantly to the inaccuracy of atomic clocks. Because nearly all collisions with room-temperature background gases that transfer momentum eject the cold atoms from the clock, the interference between the scattered and unscattered waves in the forward direction dominates these frequency shifts. We show …