Can the dipolar interaction suppress dipolar relaxation?

Abstract

Magnetic atoms in a thin layer have repulsive interactions when their magnetic moments are aligned perpendicular to the layer. We show experimentally and theoretically how this can suppress dipolar relaxation, the dominant loss process in spin mixtures of highly magnetic atoms. Using dysprosium, we observe an order of magnitude extension of the lifetime, and another factor of ten is within reach based on the models which we have validated with our experimental study. The loss suppression opens up many new possibilities for quantum simulations with spin mixtures of highly magnetic atoms.