Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:2007.00261 · Physical Review Research

Photoassociation of ultracold long-range polyatomic molecules

Marko Gacesa, Jason N. Byrd, Jonathan Smucker, John A. Jr. Montgomery, Robin Côté

Published Jun 1, 2021• 10 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The authors align a pair of ultracold polar molecules using an external electric field and use a laser to excite one of them and photo-associate the pair, binding them into an ultracold polyatomic molecule.
DOI
10.1103/physrevresearch.3.023163

Related papers

Electric field effects on the photo associative formation of cold polar molecules

Debashree Chakraborty

•Jan 1, 2014•0 citations

Long-range interactions between polar alkali-metal diatoms in external electric fields

Maxence Lepers, Romain Véxiau, M Aymar +2 more

We computed the long-range interactions between two identical polar bialkali molecules in their rovibronic ground level for all ten species involving Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs, using accurate quantum chemistry results combined with available spectroscopic data. A huge van der Waals interaction is found for eight species in free space. The competition of the van der Waals interaction with the dipole-dipole interaction induced by an external electric field parallel or perpendicular to the intermolecular axis is investigated by varying the electric-field magnitude and the intermolecular distance. Our calculations predict a regime with the mutual orientation of the two molecules but with no preferential direction in the laboratory frame. A mechanism for the stimulated one-photon radiative association of a pair of ultracold polar molecules into ultracold tetramers is proposed, which would open the way towards the optical manipulation of ultracold polyatomic molecules.

arXiv:1305.5769•Physical Review A•Sep 26, 2013•40 citations

Formation of ultracold molecules via photoassociation with blue detuned laser light

M.-L. Almazor, Olivier Dulieu, Françoise Masnou-Seeuws +2 more

The European Physical Journal D•Sep 1, 2001•18 citations

Linking Ultracold Polar Molecules

А. V. Avdeenkov, John L. Bohn

We predict that pairs of polar molecules can be weakly bound together in an ultracold environment, provided that a dc electric field is present. The field that links the molecules together also strongly influences the basic properties of the resulting dimer, such as its binding energy and predissociation lifetime. Because of their long-range character, these dimers will be useful in disentangling cold collision dynamics of polar molecules. As an example, we estimate the microwave photoassociation yield for OH-OH cold collisions.

arXiv:physics/0208080•Physical Review Letters•Jan 31, 2003•120 citations

Photoassociation of ultracold polar molecules in the rovibrational ground state

Matthias Weidemüller

Bulletin of the American Physical Society•May 22, 2009•0 citations

Purely long-range polar molecules composed of identical lanthanide atoms

Hui Li, Goulven Quéméner, Jean-François Wyart +2 more

Doubly polar molecules, possessing an electric dipole moment and a magnetic dipole moment, can strongly couple to both an external electric field and a magnetic field, providing unique opportunities to exert full control of the system quantum state at ultracold temperatures. We propose a method for creating a purely long-range doubly polar homonuclear molecule from a pair of strongly magnetic lanthanide atoms, one atom being in its ground level and the other in a superposition of quasidegenerate opposite-parity excited levels [Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 063201 (2018)]. The electric dipole moment is induced by coupling the excited levels with an external electric field. We derive the general expression of the long-range, Stark, and Zeeman interaction energies in the properly symmetrized and fully-coupled basis describing the diatomic complex. Taking the example of holmium, our calculations predict a few shallow long-range wells in the potential energy curves that support vibrational levels accessible by direct photoassociation from pairs of ground-level atoms.

arXiv:1907.03853•Physical Review A•Oct 29, 2019•4 citations
We computed the long-range interactions between two identical polar bialkali molecules in their rovibronic ground level for all ten species involving Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs, using accurate quantum chemistry results combined with available spectroscopic data. A huge van der Waals interaction is found for eight species in free space. The competition of the van der Waals interaction with the dipole-dipole interaction induced by an external electric field parallel or perpendicular to the intermolecular axis is investigated by varying the electric-field magnitude and the intermolecular distance. Our calculations predict a regime with the mutual orientation of the two molecules but with no preferential direction in the laboratory frame. A mechanism for the stimulated one-photon radiative association of a pair of ultracold polar molecules into ultracold tetramers is proposed, which would open the way towards the optical manipulation of ultracold polyatomic molecules.
We predict that pairs of polar molecules can be weakly bound together in an ultracold environment, provided that a dc electric field is present. The field that links the molecules together also strongly influences the basic properties of the resulting dimer, such as its binding energy and predissociation lifetime. Because of their long-range character, these dimers will be useful in disentangling cold collision dynamics of polar molecules. As an example, we estimate the microwave photoassociation yield for OH-OH cold collisions.
Doubly polar molecules, possessing an electric dipole moment and a magnetic dipole moment, can strongly couple to both an external electric field and a magnetic field, providing unique opportunities to exert full control of the system quantum state at ultracold temperatures. We propose a method for creating a purely long-range doubly polar homonuclear molecule from a pair of strongly magnetic lanthanide atoms, one atom being in its ground level and the other in a superposition of quasidegenerate opposite-parity excited levels [Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 063201 (2018)]. The electric dipole moment is induced by coupling the excited levels with an external electric field. We derive the general expression of the long-range, Stark, and Zeeman interaction energies in the properly symmetrized and fully-coupled basis describing the diatomic complex. Taking the example of holmium, our calculations predict a few shallow long-range wells in the potential energy curves that support vibrational levels accessible by direct photoassociation from pairs of ground-level atoms.