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

Physical Review A

Vibrational photodetachment spectroscopy near the electron affinity of S2

Jessica Barrick, John N. Yukich

Published Feb 26, 2016• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

We have conducted laser photodetachment spectroscopy near the detachment threshold of the electron affinity of ${\mathrm{S}}_{2}$ in a 1.8-T field. The ions are prepared by dissociative electron attachment to carbonyl sulfide. The experiment is conducted in a Penning ion trap and with a narrow-band, tunable, Ti:sapphire laser. A hybrid model for photodetachment in an ion trap is fit to the data using the appropriate Franck-Condon factors. The observations reveal detachment from and to the first few vibrational levels of the anion and the neutral molecule, respectively. Evaporative cooling of the anion ensemble condenses the thermal distribution to the lowest initial vibrational states. The subsequent detachment spectroscopy yields results consistent with a vibrationally cooled anion population.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.93.023431

Related papers

THRESHOLD PHOTODETACHMENT SPECTROSCOPY OF C₂⁻ IN A 16-POLE WIRE TRAP

Sruthi Purushu Melath, Wester Roland Wild

Photodetachment spectroscopy is a powerful spectroscopic technique for determining the internal state distribution of a molecular anion. Previously, our group studied the threshold photodetachment spectroscopy of CN⁻ at both 16 Kelvin and 295 Kelvin in a 22-pole ion trap and measured the electron affinity of CN with great precision (EA: 3.864(2) eV). The dicarbon anion, our current molecule of interest, is a well-studied system due to its stable electronic level structure and potential laser cooling transition. Here we present the threshold photodetachment spectroscopy study of C₂⁻ in a radiofrequency 16-pole ion trap at 8 Kelvin. We investigated the behavior of the cross section near the threshold for the ground state transition, C₂X¹Σ⁺g ← C₂⁻ X²Σ⁺g. We see a p-wave behavior for this ground state detachment. And we measured the electron affinity, which is consistent with the previously measured values."

International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy (ISMS)•Jun 19, 2023•0 citations

Internal state thermometry of cold trapped molecular anions

Rico Otto, Alexander von Zastrow, Thorsten Best +1 more

Photodetachment spectroscopy of OH(-) and H(3)O(2)(-) anions has been performed in a cryogenic 22-pole radiofrequency multipole trap. Measurements of the detachment cross section as a function of laser frequency near threshold have been analysed. Using this bound-free spectroscopy approach we could demonstrate rotational and vibrational cooling of the trapped anions by the buffer gas in the multipole trap. Below 50 K the OH(-) rotational temperature shows deviations from the buffer gas temperature, and possible causes for this are discussed. For H(3)O(2)(-) vibrational cooling of the lowest vibrational quantum states into the vibrational ground state is observed. Its photodetachment cross section near threshold is modelled with a Franck-Condon model, with a detachment threshold that is lower, but still in agreement with the expected threshold for this system.

arXiv:1408.4968•Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics•Nov 7, 2012•58 citations

Photodetachment in cold ion traps

Barry P. Mant, Markus Nötzold, Lola González‐Sánchez +2 more

Abstract We present a computational investigation of the photodetachment (PD) dynamics of C2H− in its ground, electronic 1Σ state, cooled in an ion trap with He as a buffer gas. Our analysis employs a range of PD rates from quantum dynamics, selective choices of the anion’s initial rotational state populations as the laser is switched on, and different operational trap conditions. Our results show that a variety of outcomes for the initial state-dependent PD process is possible by selecting different initial conditions in the cold trap, the latter generating a dynamical interplay between the anion’s populations of rotational states, induced by the buffer gas, and the chosen laser frequency and laser power. Specific parameter selections during the PD process will be shown to cause different abundances of the rotational states of the anion in the trap. Graphical abstract

The European Physical Journal D•Jun 1, 2020•2 citations

Radiative Rotational Lifetimes and State-Resolved Relative Detachment Cross Sections from Photodetachment Thermometry of Molecular Anions in a Cryogenic Storage Ring

Christian Meyer, Andreas Becker, K. Blaum +23 more

Photodetachment thermometry on a beam of OH^{-} in a cryogenic storage ring cooled to below 10 K is carried out using two-dimensional frequency- and time-dependent photodetachment spectroscopy over 20 min of ion storage. In equilibrium with the low-level blackbody field, we find an effective radiative temperature near 15 K with about 90% of all ions in the rotational ground state. We measure the J=1 natural lifetime (about 193 s) and determine the OH^{-} rotational transition dipole moment with 1.5% uncertainty. We also measure rotationally dependent relative near-threshold photodetachment cross sections for photodetachment thermometry.

arXiv:1707.04889•Physical Review Letters•Jul 14, 2017•54 citations

Laser-Assisted Evaporative Cooling of Anions

G. Cerchiari, P. Yzombard, A. Kellerbauer

We report the first cooling of atomic anions by laser radiation. O^{-} ions confined in a linear Paul trap were cooled by selectively photodetaching the hottest particles. For this purpose, anions with the highest total energy were illuminated with a 532 nm laser at their maximal radial excursion. Using laser-particle interaction, we realized a both colder and denser ion cloud, achieving a more than threefold temperature reduction from 1.15 to 0.33 eV. Compared with the interaction with a dilute buffer gas, the energy-selective addressing and removal of anions resulted in lower final temperatures, yet acted 10 times faster and preserved twice as large a fraction of ions in the final state. An ensemble of cold negative ions affords the ability to sympathetically cool any other negative ion species, enabling or facilitating a broad range of fundamental studies from interstellar chemistry to antimatter gravity. The technique can be extended to any negative ion species that can be neutralized via photodetachment.

Physical Review Letters•Sep 6, 2019•18 citations

s-wave photodetachment in a static electric field

N. D. Gibson, B. J. Davies, Daniel J. Larson

Photodetachment from negative ions in a static electric field has been studied using ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ and ${\mathrm{S}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$. These experiments were done with greater precision than previous studies and allow a quantitative comparison of data with theory. A 10-keV ion beam was sent through a region with fields of up to 1.5 kV/cm applied parallel to the beam velocity. A pulsed dye-laser beam, perpendicular to the ion beam, photoneutralized the ions. The relative cross sections were measured by detecting the resulting fast neutral atoms. Detachment below threshold and oscillations on the cross section above threshold were observed near the ${\mathrm{S}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ threshold at 16 269.5 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ and near the ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ threshold at 29 138.3 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$. The phase of the oscillations in the data is in good agreement with predictions for s-wave photodetachment in a static electric field, but the amplitude of the oscillations is found to be slightly reduced.

Physical Review A•Mar 1, 1993•40 citations
We have conducted laser photodetachment spectroscopy near the detachment threshold of the electron affinity of S2{\mathrm{S}}_{2}S2​ in a 1.8-T field. The ions are prepared by dissociative electron attachment to carbonyl sulfide. The experiment is conducted in a Penning ion trap and with a narrow-band, tunable, Ti:sapphire laser. A hybrid model for photodetachment in an ion trap is fit to the data using the appropriate Franck-Condon factors. The observations reveal detachment from and to the first few vibrational levels of the anion and the neutral molecule, respectively. Evaporative cooling of the anion ensemble condenses the thermal distribution to the lowest initial vibrational states. The subsequent detachment spectroscopy yields results consistent with a vibrationally cooled anion population.
Photodetachment spectroscopy is a powerful spectroscopic technique for determining the internal state distribution of a molecular anion. Previously, our group studied the threshold photodetachment spectroscopy of CN⁻ at both 16 Kelvin and 295 Kelvin in a 22-pole ion trap and measured the electron affinity of CN with great precision (EA: 3.864(2) eV). The dicarbon anion, our current molecule of interest, is a well-studied system due to its stable electronic level structure and potential laser cooling transition. Here we present the threshold photodetachment spectroscopy study of C₂⁻ in a radiofrequency 16-pole ion trap at 8 Kelvin. We investigated the behavior of the cross section near the threshold for the ground state transition, C₂X¹Σ⁺g ← C₂⁻ X²Σ⁺g. We see a p-wave behavior for this ground state detachment. And we measured the electron affinity, which is consistent with the previously measured values."
Photodetachment spectroscopy of OH(-) and H(3)O(2)(-) anions has been performed in a cryogenic 22-pole radiofrequency multipole trap. Measurements of the detachment cross section as a function of laser frequency near threshold have been analysed. Using this bound-free spectroscopy approach we could demonstrate rotational and vibrational cooling of the trapped anions by the buffer gas in the multipole trap. Below 50 K the OH(-) rotational temperature shows deviations from the buffer gas temperature, and possible causes for this are discussed. For H(3)O(2)(-) vibrational cooling of the lowest vibrational quantum states into the vibrational ground state is observed. Its photodetachment cross section near threshold is modelled with a Franck-Condon model, with a detachment threshold that is lower, but still in agreement with the expected threshold for this system.
Abstract We present a computational investigation of the photodetachment (PD) dynamics of C2H− in its ground, electronic 1Σ state, cooled in an ion trap with He as a buffer gas. Our analysis employs a range of PD rates from quantum dynamics, selective choices of the anion’s initial rotational state populations as the laser is switched on, and different operational trap conditions. Our results show that a variety of outcomes for the initial state-dependent PD process is possible by selecting different initial conditions in the cold trap, the latter generating a dynamical interplay between the anion’s populations of rotational states, induced by the buffer gas, and the chosen laser frequency and laser power. Specific parameter selections during the PD process will be shown to cause different abundances of the rotational states of the anion in the trap. Graphical abstract
Photodetachment thermometry on a beam of OH^{-} in a cryogenic storage ring cooled to below 10 K is carried out using two-dimensional frequency- and time-dependent photodetachment spectroscopy over 20 min of ion storage. In equilibrium with the low-level blackbody field, we find an effective radiative temperature near 15 K with about 90% of all ions in the rotational ground state. We measure the J=1 natural lifetime (about 193 s) and determine the OH^{-} rotational transition dipole moment with 1.5% uncertainty. We also measure rotationally dependent relative near-threshold photodetachment cross sections for photodetachment thermometry.
We report the first cooling of atomic anions by laser radiation. O^{-} ions confined in a linear Paul trap were cooled by selectively photodetaching the hottest particles. For this purpose, anions with the highest total energy were illuminated with a 532 nm laser at their maximal radial excursion. Using laser-particle interaction, we realized a both colder and denser ion cloud, achieving a more than threefold temperature reduction from 1.15 to 0.33 eV. Compared with the interaction with a dilute buffer gas, the energy-selective addressing and removal of anions resulted in lower final temperatures, yet acted 10 times faster and preserved twice as large a fraction of ions in the final state. An ensemble of cold negative ions affords the ability to sympathetically cool any other negative ion species, enabling or facilitating a broad range of fundamental studies from interstellar chemistry to antimatter gravity. The technique can be extended to any negative ion species that can be neutralized via photodetachment.
Photodetachment from negative ions in a static electric field has been studied using ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ and ${\mathrm{S}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$. These experiments were done with greater precision than previous studies and allow a quantitative comparison of data with theory. A 10-keV ion beam was sent through a region with fields of up to 1.5 kV/cm applied parallel to the beam velocity. A pulsed dye-laser beam, perpendicular to the ion beam, photoneutralized the ions. The relative cross sections were measured by detecting the resulting fast neutral atoms. Detachment below threshold and oscillations on the cross section above threshold were observed near the ${\mathrm{S}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ threshold at 16 269.5 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ and near the ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ threshold at 29 138.3 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$. The phase of the oscillations in the data is in good agreement with predictions for s-wave photodetachment in a static electric field, but the amplitude of the oscillations is found to be slightly reduced.