Collisional loss of one-dimensional fermions near a $p$-wave Feshbach resonance

Abstract

We study collisional loss of a quasi-one-dimensional (1D) spin-polarized Fermi gas near a $p$-wave Feshbach resonance in ultracold $^6$Li atoms. We measure the location of the $p$-wave resonance in quasi-1D and observe a confinement-induced shift and broadening. We find that the three-body loss coefficient $L_3$ as a function of the quasi-1D confinement has little dependence on confinement strength. We also analyze the atom loss with a two-step cascade three-body loss model in which weakly bound dimers are formed prior to their loss arising from atom-dimer collisions. Our data are consistent with this model. We also find a possible suppression in the rate of dimer relaxation with strong quasi-1D confinement. We discuss the implications of these measurements for observing $p$-wave pairing in quasi-1D.