Cold Li–Yb⁺ mixtures in a hybrid trap setup

In this PhD thesis, we describe the design and construction of an experimental apparatus capable of trapping, cooling and spatially overlapping neutral ⁶Li atoms and Yb⁺ ions. Our main goal is to reach the quantum regime in atom-ion mixtures and to investigate fundamental atom-ion scattering physics. In particular, we answer two important questions: 1) How does the atom-ion quantum simulator behave when we include micromotion in its theoretical description? To answer this question, we analyze in theory the quantum dynamics of an atom-ion quantum simulator unit cell in which a single atom interacts with a single trapped ion. 2) Is the combination Yb⁺/Li suitable for the experimental applications intended? To find this out we experimentally establish if the chemical reaction rate in colliding Li–Yb⁺ systems is low enough to allow for quantum applications and sympathetic cooling.