Title: Spin controlled atom-ion inelastic collisions,
Abstract: The control of the ultracold collisions between neutral atoms is an extensive
and successful field of study. The tools developed allow for ultracold chemical
reactions to be managed using magnetic fields, light fields and spin-state
manipulation of the colliding particles among other methods. The control of
chemical reactions in ultracold atom-ion collisions is a young and growing
field of research. Recently, the collision energy and the ion electronic state
were used to control atom-ion interactions. Here, we demonstrate
spin-controlled atom-ion inelastic processes. In our experiment, both
spin-exchange and charge-exchange reactions are controlled in an ultracold
Rb-Sr$^+$ mixture by the atomic spin state. We prepare a cloud of atoms in a
single hyperfine spin-state. Spin-exchange collisions between atoms and ion
subsequently polarize the ion spin. Electron transfer is only allowed for
(RbSr)$^+$ colliding in the singlet manifold. Initializing the atoms in various
spin states affects the overlap of the collision wavefunction with the singlet
molecular manifold and therefore also the reaction rate. We experimentally show
that by preparing the atoms in different spin states one can vary the
charge-exchange rate in agreement with theoretical predictions.