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Physical Review A

Effect of an applied magnetic field on Sr 84 n 1 D 2 ultralong-range Rydberg dimers

S. Yoshida, C. Wang, Ang Li, S. K. Kanungo, T. C. Killian, F. B. Dunning

Published Jul 22, 2026• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Photoassociation of 5 s n d 1 D 2 − 5 s 2 1 S 0 ultralong-range Rydberg dimers from an ultracold Sr 84 atomic gas in a magnetic field is studied. In the absence of magnetic fields, the electronic wave function is aligned along the rotating molecular axis through electron-atom scattering. With increasing magnetic field strength, the symmetry axis of the electron wave function becomes determined by the applied field. While the ground-state atom has no spin or net charge to interact directly with the magnetic field, the dimer wave function in the limit of strong magnetic field becomes aligned along the applied field. Photoassociation spectra show that with increasing field, an increasing number of rovibrational states are excited, indicating strong coupling between rotational states within the Rydberg dimer.

DOI
10.1103/6bj1-1ywm

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