We observe magnetic trapping of atomic nitrogen (N14) and cotrapping of ground-state imidogen (N14 H, X Σ-3). Both are loaded directly from a room-temperature beam via buffer gas cooling. We trap approximately 1× 1011 N14 atoms at a peak density of 5× 1011 cm-3 at 550 mK. The 12±4 s 1/e lifetime of atomic nitrogen in the trap is consistent with a model for loss of atoms over the edge of the trap in the presence of helium buffer gas. Cotrapping of N14 and N14 H is accomplished, with 108 NH trapped molecules at a peak density of 108 cm-3. © 2008 The American Physical Society.

We present an experimental and theoretical study of atom-molecule collisions in a mixture of cold, trapped N atoms and NH molecules at a temperature of ∼600  mK. We measure a small N+NH trap loss rate coefficient of k(loss)(N+NH)=9(5)(3)×10(-13)  cm(3) s(-1). Accurate quantum scattering calculations based on ab initio interaction potentials are in agreement with experiment and indicate the magnetic dipole interaction to be the dominant loss mechanism. Our theory further indicates the ratio of N+NH elastic-to-inelastic collisions remains large (>100) into the mK regime.