48th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
Volume 62, Number 8
Monday–Friday, June 5–9, 2017;
Sacramento, California
Session U2: Hot Topics
10:30 AM–12:30 PM,
Friday, June 9, 2017
Room: 306-307
Chair: Bob Jones, University of Virginia
Abstract ID: BAPS.2017.DAMOP.U2.2
Abstract: U2.00002 : Laser cooling of SrOH and magneto-optical trapping of CaF
11:00 AM–11:30 AM
Preview Abstract
Abstract
Author:
John Doyle
(Harvard University)
Several promising goals of modern quantum science will be aided by the
extension of precision control beyond atoms and bi-alkali molecules to a
diverse set of molecular species with varying complex internal structures.
Direct laser cooling and trapping of molecules is one promising route. For
example, diatomic molecules with one or more unpaired electron spins and
polyatomic molecules with closely spaced opposite parity levels have
features advantageous for quantum simulation and precision measurement.
Frontier research goals include the creation of new types of ultracold
quantum molecular gases, optically trapped samples of molecules that can be
read out and addressed individually, and new molecules for searches for
particle physics beyond the standard model.\\
\\Toward this goal, we have recently demonstrated laser slowing and
magneto-optical trapping of CaF. Using a two stage cryogenic buffer-gas beam
(CBGB) and white light slowing, more than 10,000 molecules are loaded and
trapped in a MOT with a temperature below 10 mK. We create a `dual
frequency' DC MOT as also demonstrated in [1] and compare its properties to
a RF MOT previously achieved with SrF [2]. We will present our most recent
progress with CaF.\\
\\We have also recently demonstrated laser cooling of SrOH, a molecule whose
structure illuminates some of the possibilities of ultracold polyatomic
molecules. With three distinct vibrational modes, SrOH can be optically
prepared in excited vibrational states resulting in nearly degenerate
opposite parity levels that can be easily mixed in small electric fields.
Using optical cycling, we have demonstrated Doppler and Sisyphus laser
cooling of this polyatomic radical. By re-pumping the molecules that decay
to the excited Sr-O stretching and bending modes, we reduce the transverse
temperature of molecular beam from 50 mK to below 1 mK in one dimension. We
will also present other recent work on SrOH. Our approach could be applied
to more complex species like SrOCH$_{3}$ and SrOCH$_{2}$CH$_{3}$, opening
a path toward creating a variety of ultracold polyatomic molecules by means
of direct laser cooling.\\
\\$[1]$ Truppe \textit{et al}., arXiv:1703.00580 (2017). [2] Norrgard \textit{et al}., Phys. Rev. Lett. 116,
063004 (2016).
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2017.DAMOP.U2.2