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Extending Rotational Coherence of Interacting Polar Molecules in a Spin-Decoupled Magic Trap
Frauke Seeßelberg1, Xin-Yu Luo1, Ming Li2
1Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, 85748 Garching, Germany.
Abstract:
Superpositions of rotational states in polar molecules induce strong, long-range dipolar interactions. Here we extend the rotational coherence by nearly 1 order of magnitude to 8.7(6) ms in a dilute gas of polar ^{23}Na^{40}K molecules in an optical trap. We demonstrate spin-decoupled magic trapping, which cancels first-order and reduces second-order differential light shifts. The latter is achieved with a dc electric field that decouples nuclear spin, rotation, and trapping light field. We observe density-dependent coherence times, which can be explained by dipolar interactions in the bulk gas.
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