Related papers: Suppression of non-adiabatic losses of molecules f…
We analyze the dynamics of a paramagnetic, dipolar molecule in a generic "magneto-electrostatic'' trap where both magnetic and electric fields may be present. The potential energy that governs the dynamics of the molecules is found using a…
Nonadiabatic transitions are known to be major loss channels for atoms in magnetic traps, but have thus far not been experimentally reported upon for trapped molecules. We have observed and quantified losses due to nonadiabatic transitions…
Recently, a decelerator for neutral polar molecules has been presented that operates on the basis of macroscopic, three-dimensional, traveling electrostatic traps (Osterwalder et al., Phys. Rev. A 81, 051401 (2010)). In the present paper, a…
Polar molecules in selected quantum states can be guided, decelerated, and trapped using electric fields created by microstructured electrodes on a chip. Here we explore how transitions between two of these quantum states can be induced…
We present a versatile electric trap for the exploration of a wide range of quantum phenomena in the interaction between polar molecules. The trap combines tunable fields, homogeneous over most of the trap volume, with steep gradient fields…
Cold and ultracold polar molecules with nonzero electronic angular momentum are of great interest for studies in quantum chemistry and control, investigations of novel quantum systems, and precision measurement. However, in mixed electric…
Accurate description of nonadiabatic dynamics of molecules at metal surfaces involving electron transfer has been a longstanding challenge for theory. Here, we tackle this problem by first constructing high-dimensional neural network…
A microstructured array of over 1200 electrodes on a substrate has been configured to generate an array of local minima of electric field strength with a periodicity of $120 \mu$m about $25 \mu$m above the substrate. By applying…
In a Stark decelerator, polar molecules are slowed down and focussed by an inhomogeneous electric field which switches between two configurations. For the decelerator to work, it is essential that the molecules follow the changing electric…
We demonstrate the measurement and manipulation of the temperature of cold CO molecules in a microchip environment. Through the use of time-resolved spatial imaging, we are able to observe the phase-space distribution of the molecules, and…
A new type of decelerator is presented where polar neutral molecules are guided and decelerated using the principle of traveling electric potential wells, such that molecules are confined in stable three-dimensional traps throughout. This…
In the last years, it was demonstrated that neutral molecules can be loaded on a microchip directly from a supersonic beam. The molecules are confined in microscopic traps that can be moved smoothly over the surface of the chip. Once the…
Doubly dipolar molecules exhibit complex internal spin-dynamics when electric and magnetic fields are both applied. Near magnetic trap minima, these spin-dynamics lead to enhancements in Majorana spin-flip transitions by many orders of…
Trapping of atoms and molecules in electrostatic, magnetic and optical traps has enabled studying atomic and molecular interactions on a timescale of many seconds, allowing observations of ultra-cold collisions and reactions. Here we report…
A microstructured array of 1254 electrodes on a substrate has been configured to generate an array of local minima of electric field strength with a periodicity of 120 $\mu$m about 25 $\mu$m above the substrate. By applying sinusoidally…
Carbon monoxide molecules in their electronic, vibrational, and rotational ground state are highly attractive for trapping experiments. The optical or ac electric traps that can be envisioned for these molecules will be very shallow,…
We propose and analyze an electrostatic-optical nano-scale trap for cold diatomic polar molecules. The main ingredient of our proposal is an square-array of ferroelectric nano-rods {with alternating polarization}. We show that, in contrast…
Trapping ultracold molecules in conservative traps is essential for applications -- such as quantum state-controlled chemistry, quantum simulations, and quantum information processing. These applications require high densities or…
Beams of neutral polar molecules in a low-field seeking quantum state can be slowed down using a Stark decelerator, and can subsequently be loaded and confined in electrostatic quadrupole traps. The efficiency of the trap loading process is…
We report the first observation of a non-dipole transition in an ultra-cold atomic vapor. We excite the 3P-4P electric quadrupole (E2) transition in $^{23}$Na confined in a Magneto-Optical Trap(MOT), and demonstrate its application to…