Exploring the vibrational series of pure trilobite Rydberg molecules

Area of Science:

• Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) Physics
• Quantum Chemistry
• Condensed Matter Physics

Background:

• Trilobite Rydberg molecules are homonuclear molecules with permanent electric dipole moments.
• Previous observations were limited to states with low angular momentum (l) admixtures.
• High angular momentum states are crucial for unique molecular properties and applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the observation of pure trilobite Rubidium-Rydberg molecules in high angular momentum states.
• To investigate their properties, including vibrational structure, dipole moments, and lifetimes.
• To demonstrate their potential for low-energy electron-atom scattering measurements and benchmarking theoretical calculations.

Main Methods:

• Three-photon photoassociation of Rubidium atoms.
• Spectroscopic analysis to identify vibrational series and energy levels.
• Measurement of electric dipole moments and molecular lifetimes.

Main Results:

• Observation of two nearly equidistant vibrational series of pure trilobite Rubidium-Rydberg molecules.
• These states lie energetically below the atomic 22F state.
• Measured kilo-Debye dipole moments and increased molecular lifetimes compared to the 22F state.
• Demonstrated potential for measuring electron-atom scattering length.

Conclusions:

• The observation of pure trilobite molecules with high angular momentum states is a significant advancement.
• These molecules offer a new platform for precise low-energy electron-atom scattering measurements.
• The equidistant vibrational series pave the way for observing coherent molecular wave packet dynamics.