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 41 K and 87 Rb, 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.
Authors
- Achim Peters (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5538-9250)
- Andreas Wicht
- Ernst M. Rasel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7861-8829)
- K. Sengstock (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1985-7835)
- Christoph Lotz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0324-8274)
- Jonas Böhm (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7467-7389)
- Baptist Piest (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0488-4504)
- Michael Elsen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4804-1872)
- Ortwin Hellmig
- André Wenzlawski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2347-9643)
- Christian Reichelt
- Annie Pichery (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8426-6445)
- Wolfgang Bartosch
- Éric Charron (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1660-6368)
- Thijs Wendrich
- Klaus Döringshoff (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1549-5056)
- Jens Große (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3942-8819)
- Priyanka Guggilam
- Paweł Arciszewski
- Dorthe Leopoldt
- Timothé Estrampes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0754-9028)
- Gabriel Müller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5980-5740)
- Alexandros Papakonstantinou
- Sören Boles
- Christian Kürbis
- Patrick Windpassinger
- Naceur Gaaloul
Institutions
- Leibniz University Hannover (DE)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Universität Hamburg (DE)
- University of Bremen (DE)
- Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (DE)
- Observatoire de Paris (FR)
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d'Orsay (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2026-07-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-75968-9
- Primary Topic
- Field-Flow Fractionation Techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt
- Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
- Leibniz-Gemeinschaft