Scattering length of the ground-stateMg+Mgcollision

Abstract

We have constructed the $X{}^1{\Sigma }_g^{+}$ potential for the collision between two ground-state Mg atoms and analyzed the effect of uncertainties in the shape of the potential on scattering properties at ultracold temperatures. This potential reproduces the experimental term values to $0.2\hspace{0.5em}{\mathrm{cm}}^{-1}$ and has a scattering length of $+1.4\mathrm{}\left(5\right)\mathrm{}\hspace{0.5em}\mathrm{nm}$ where the error is predominantly due to the uncertainty in the dissociation energy and the $C_6$ dispersion coefficient. A positive sign of the scattering length suggests that a Bose-Einstein condensate of ground-state Mg atoms is stable.