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arXiv:1509.01891 · Physical Review A

Field-free long-lived alignment of molecules with a two-dimensional optical centrifuge

A. Milner, Aleksey Korobenko, Valery Milner

Published May 11, 2016• 22 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The optical centrifuge technique that spins up molecules is modified to align molecules into highly excited rotational states, where it is demonstrated that the created alignment has a long lifetime against collisions with other molecules.
DOI
10.1103/physreva.93.053408

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We use an optical centrifuge to align asymmetric top SO_{2} molecules by adiabatically spinning their most polarizable O-O axis. The effective centrifugal potential in the rotating frame confines the sulfur atoms to the plane of the laser-induced rotation, leading to the planar molecular alignment that persists after the molecules are released from the centrifuge. The periodic appearance of the full three-dimensional alignment, typically observed only with linear and symmetric top molecules, is also detected. Together with strong in-plane centrifugal forces, which bend the molecules by up to 10 deg, permanent field-free alignment offers new ways of controlling molecules with laser light.
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