Related papers: Cold Molecule Spectroscopy for Constraining the Ev…
We investigate the constraints that OH microwave transitions in megamasers and molecular absorbers at cosmological distances may place on the evolution of the fine structure constant alpha=e^2/(hbar c). The centimeter OH transitions are a…
We perform precision microwave spectroscopy--aided by Stark deceleration--to reveal the low magnetic field behavior of OH in its ^2\Pi_{3/2} ro-vibronic ground state, identifying two field-insensitive hyperfine transitions suitable as…
Sensitivity to temporal variation of the fundamental constants may be strongly enhanced in transitions between narrow close levels of different nature. This enhancement may be realized in a large number of molecules due to cancelation…
A special class of molecules that are important to many subfields in molecular dynamics and chemical physics, namely free radical molecules, now enjoy a significant degree of center-of-mass motion control in the laboratory frame. The…
The Lambda-doublet transitions in CH at 3.3 and 0.7 GHz are unusually sensitive to variations in the fine-structure constant and the electron-to-proton mass ratio. We describe methods used to measure the frequencies of these transitions…
We report bunching, slowing, and acceleration of a supersonically cooled beam of diatomic hydroxyl radicals (OH). \textit{In situ} observation of laser-induced fluorescence along the beam propagation path allows for detailed…
Many modern theories predict that the fundamental constants depend on time, position, or the local density of matter. We develop a spectroscopic method for pulsed beams of cold molecules, and use it to measure the frequencies of microwave…
The [$^{12}$C II] emission at 158 $\mu$m is a key cooling line of the interstellar medium and traces gas kinematics in spectrally resolved observations. Its spectral profile is often modified by optical depth effects. The intrinsic line…
We describe the production of cold, slow-moving LiH molecules. The molecules are produced in the ground state using laser ablation and supersonic expansion, and 68% of the population is transferred to the rotationally excited state using…
Stark deceleration has been utilized for slowing and trapping several species of neutral, ground-state polar molecules generated in a supersonic beam expansion. Due to the finite physical dimension of the electrode array and practical…
The precise measurement of transition frequencies in cold, trapped molecules has applications in fundamental physics, and extremely high accuracies are desirable. We determine suitable candidates by considering simple molecules with a…
In 2003 we have measured the absolute frequency of the $(1S, F=1, m_F=\pm 1) \leftrightarrow (2S, F'=1, m_F'=\pm 1)$ two-photon transition in atomic hydrogen. We observed a variation of $(-29\pm 57)$ Hz over a 44 months interval separating…
$\Lambda$-doublet spectra of light diatomic radicals have high sensitivity to the possible variations of the fine structure constant alpha and electron-to-proton mass ratio beta. For molecules OH and CH sensitivity is further enhanced…
Quasi-forbidden electronic transitions in atoms and quasi-degenerate vibronic transitions in molecules serve as powerful probes of hypothetical temporal variations of fundamental constants. Computation of the sensitivity of a transition to…
We have measured hyperfine structure in the first-excited $P$ state ($D$ lines) of all the naturally-occurring alkali atoms. We use high-resolution laser spectroscopy to resolve hyperfine transitions, and measure intervals by locking the…
We present precision spectroscopy on electrically trapped formaldehyde (H$_2$CO), demonstrating key attributes which will enable molecular spectroscopy with unprecedented precision. Our method makes use of a microstructured electric trap…
Precision spectroscopy of simple atomic systems has refined our understanding of the fundamental laws of quantum physics. In particular, helium spectroscopy has played a crucial role in describing two-electron interactions, determining the…
We report the detection of the satellite 18 cm OH lines at 1612 and 1720 MHz in the z=0.2467 molecular absorption system toward the radio source PKS 1413+135. The two OH lines are conjugate; the 1612 MHz line is seen in absorption while the…
We demonstrate a technique for frequency measurements of atomic transitions with a precision of 30 kHz. The frequency is measured using a ring-cavity resonator whose length is calibrated against a reference laser locked to the $D_2$ line of…
The OH molecule, found abundantly in the Milky Way, has four transitions at the ground state rotational level(J = 3/2) at cm wavelengths. These are E1 transitions between the F+ and F- hyperfine levels of the Lambda doublet of the J=3/2…