Observation of Feshbach resonances between a single ion and ultracold atoms

The control of physical systems and their dynamics on the level of individual quanta underpins both fundamental science and quantum technologies. Trapped atomic and molecular systems, neutral 1 and charged 2 , are at the forefront of quantum science. Their extraordinary level of control is evidenced by numerous applications in quantum information processing 3 , 4 and quantum metrology 5 , 6 . Studies of the long-range interactions between these systems when combined in a hybrid atom–ion trap 7 , 8 have led to landmark results 9 – 19 . However, reaching the ultracold regime—where quantum mechanics dominates the interaction, for example, giving access to controllable scattering resonances 20 , 21 —has so far been elusive. Here we demonstrate Feshbach resonances between ions and atoms, using magnetically tunable interactions between 138 Ba + ions and 6 Li atoms. We tune the experimental parameters to probe different interaction processes—first, enhancing three-body reactions 22 , 23 and the related losses to identify the resonances and then making two-body interactions dominant to investigate the ion’s sympathetic cooling 19 in the ultracold atomic bath. Our results provide deeper insights into atom–ion interactions, giving access to complex many-body systems 24 – 27 and applications in experimental quantum simulation 28 – 30 . Magnetically tunable interactions between lithium atoms and barium ions are used to demonstrate and probe Feshbach resonances between atoms and ions, which could have applications in the fields of experimental quantum simulation and fundamental physics.