Related papers: Blue-detuned molecular magneto-optical trap scheme…
Direct laser cooling of molecules has reached a phase space density exceeding 10$^{-6}$ in optical traps, but with rather small molecular numbers. To progress towards quantum degeneracy, a mechanism is needed that combines sub-Doppler…
A key method to produce trapped and laser-cooled molecules is the magneto-optical trap (MOT), which is conventionally created using light red-detuned from an optical transition. In this work, we report a MOT for CaF molecules created using…
In red-detuned magneto-optical traps (MOTs) of molecules, sub-Doppler heating competes with Doppler cooling, resulting in high temperature and low density. A solution is offered by the blue-detuned MOT where sub-Doppler cooling dominates…
We report the realization of a blue-detuned magneto-optical trap (BDM) of BaF molecules. The (1 + 1) type BDM and (1 + 2) type conveyor-belt MOT are explored. While the (1+1) BDM provides only weak trapping force, the conveyor-belt MOT…
Current dual-frequency magneto-optical traps for ultracold molecules are plagued by sub-Doppler heating effects, making them vastly inferior to standard atomic MOTs. Here we demonstrate theoretically that the sub-Doppler effects in such a…
Recent experiments have demonstrated direct cooling and trapping of diatomic and triatomic molecules in magneto-optical traps (MOTs). However, even the best molecular MOTs to date still have density $10^{-5}$ times smaller than in typical…
We present the properties and advantages of a new magneto-optical trap (MOT) where blue-detuned light drives `type-II' transitions that have dark ground states. Using $^{87}$Rb, we reach a radiation-pressure-limited density exceeding…
We demonstrate significantly improved magneto-optical trapping of molecules using a very slow cryogenic beam source and RF modulated and DC magnetic fields. The RF MOT confines $1.1(3) \times 10^5$ CaF molecules at a density of $4(1) \times…
We report optical trapping of laser-cooled molecules at sufficient density to observe molecule-molecule collisions for the first time in a bulk gas. SrF molecules from a red-detuned magneto-optical trap (MOT) are compressed and cooled in a…
Magneto-optical trapping (MOT) is a key technique on the route towards ultracold molecular ensembles. However, the realization and optimization of magneto-optical traps with their wide parameter space is particularly difficult. Here, we…
We report magneto-optical trapping (MOT) of a polyatomic molecule, calcium monohydroxide (CaOH). The MOT contains $2.0(5)\times 10^4$ CaOH molecules at a peak density of $3.0(8)\times10^{6}$ cm$^{-3}$. CaOH molecules are further sub-Doppler…
We study theoretically the behavior of laser-cooled calcium monofluoride (CaF) molecules in an optical molasses and magneto-optical trap (MOT), and compare our results to recent experiments. We use multi-level optical Bloch equations to…
Laser cooling is used to produce ultracold atoms and molecules for quantum science and precision measurement applications. Molecules are more challenging to cool than atoms due to their vibrational and rotational internal degrees of…
Diatomic molecules are promising systems for quantum science applications due to their complex energy structures and strong dipole-dipole interactions. Achieving ultracold temperatures is essential for these applications, but the complexity…
We demonstrate a blue-detuned magneto-optical trap (MOT) of a polyatomic molecule, calcium monohydroxide (CaOH). We identify a novel MOT frequency configuration that produces high spatial compression of the molecular cloud. This high…
Calcium monofluoride (CaF) molecules are loaded into an optical dipole trap (ODT) and subsequently laser cooled within the trap. Starting with magneto-optical trapping, we sub-Doppler cool CaF and then load $150(30)$ CaF molecules into an…
We exploit red- and blue-detuned magneto optical trapping (MOT) of $^{87}$Rb benefitting from a simplified setup based on liquid crystal variable retarders (LCVR). To maintain the trapping forces when switching from a red- to a blue-detuned…
We demonstrate a three-dimensional magneto-optical trap (MOT) of a metal hydride molecule, CaH. We are able to scatter $\sim$$10^{4}$ photons with vibrational loss covered up to vibrational quantum number $\nu=2$. This allows us to laser…
Molecular magneto-optical traps (MOTs) typically capture orders of magnitude fewer particles than their atomic counterparts due in part to their significantly lower capture velocities. Here, we employ a Stochastic Schr\"odinger Equation…
As a heavy molecule, barium monofluoride (BaF) presents itself as a promising candidate for measuring permanent electric dipole moment. The precision of such measurements can be significantly enhanced by utilizing a cold molecular sample.…