Trapping and slowing cold molecules in pulsed optical lattices
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
This proposal aims to study the manipulation and trapping of molecules within pulsed optical fields, focusing in particular on exploring the centre-ofmass motion of molecules within medium intensity periodic optical potentials, often called optical lattices. This work will study the detailed molecular motion within optical lattices, including the slowing and trapping of cold molecules, as well as the untrapped dynamics in accelerating lattices.We will produce, for the first time, stationary cold non-polar molecules in the 1 mK to 1 K range by decelerating jet-cooled molecules. Two lattice deceleration schemes will be explored, both of which are capable of decelerating essentially any polarisable particle, including atomic species and clusters. The first scheme will use a novel chirped laser system that traps and transports the molecules to zero velocity, while a second scheme will utilise the detailed dynamics of molecular motion when trapped within a constant velocity pulsed lattice.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Peter Barker (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Bookey HT
(2007)
Spectral narrowing in coherent rayleigh scattering.
in Physical review letters
Fulton R
(2006)
Optical Stark deceleration of nitric oxide and benzene molecules using optical lattices
in Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
Fulton R
(2006)
Controlling the motion of cold molecules with deep periodic optical potentials
in Nature Physics
Lu W
(2007)
Cooling molecules in optical cavities
in Physical Review A
| Description | The key advances in this project have been the development of techniques to manipulate and slow molecules using far off resonant optical fields. Our work in this rapidly developing field has centred on the development of optical Stark deceleration, which traps and brings molecules to rest, initially within a molecular beam. This was done utilizing the large optical potentials that result from the interaction between an induced dipole moment and the intense optical field that induced it. Since all molecules are polarisable in this way, in principle any molecule or atom can be manipulated and slowed in the same manner. This has opened up the capability of creating essentially any stationary cold molecular species, including those that cannot be slowed and trapped using other techniques. This capability has been demonstrated in our experiments, where we have successfully slowed every species that we have so far placed within the molecular beam. This includes the organic molecule benzene (non-polar) and nitric oxide (weakly polar), as well as ground state xenon, the inert buffer gas used to form the molecular beam. Benzene, at a density of 1011 cm-3, has been brought to rest using a pulsed optical lattice created by two near counter-propagating optical fields, and further optimisation will increase this value by at least an order of magnitude. The key advances largely follow most of the main objectives outlined in the proposal. These are, however, slightly modified because we have not yet implemented the chirped deceleration technique. These are: 1) The creation of stationary cold molecules (< 1 K) at densities of 1011 cm-3 by constant velocity lattice and the development of chirped laser technology for chirped deceleration. 2) Measurement of the centre-of-mass dynamics of molecules created in objective 1 via measurement of the velocity distribution function of trapped and slowed species. 3) Exploration of methods for trapping of non-polar decelerated molecules. 4) Measurement of untrapped dynamics in chirped lattices. |
| Exploitation Route | To date we know of at least three groups that now have started to use this technique for slowing molecules. In the long term it is anticipated that this research will have impact in precision measurements and ultra cold physics and molecular physics. Also the scattering from molecules that we used can be used for measuring the thermodynamics properties of gases very quickly. |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Education,Other |
| Description | Thi work to manipulate molecules has been used in both basic science but also in the development of techniques for the diagnostics of gases and plasmas. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2009 |
| Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal |
| Description | Collaboration with Princeton University |
| Organisation | Princeton University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Experimental support of a number of programmes |
| Collaborator Contribution | Theoretical support |
| Impact | Publications across a range of grants. |