Efficient Creation of Ultracold Ground State ^{6}Li^{40}K Polar Molecules

Area of Science:

• Quantum physics
• Ultracold atomic and molecular physics
• Quantum chemistry

Background:

• Ultracold polar molecules are crucial for studying quantum many-body physics.
• Efficient creation of ground-state polar molecules is essential for advanced research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create ultracold ground state ⁶Li⁴⁰K polar molecules with high efficiency.
• To investigate the properties and lifetime of these molecules.

Main Methods:

• Utilized stimulated Raman adiabatic passage for coherent transfer to the singlet rovibrational ground state.
• Employed low-phase-noise narrow-linewidth lasers for efficient molecule creation.
• Measured molecule lifetime in an optical dipole trap and confirmed dipole moment via Stark shift spectroscopy.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 96(4)% one-way transfer efficiency to the ground state |X¹Σ⁺,v=0,J=0⟩.
• Measured a ground state molecule lifetime of 5.0(3) ms.
• Confirmed the large permanent dipole moment of LiK molecules.

Conclusions:

• The high-efficiency creation of ultracold ⁶Li⁴⁰K molecules opens avenues for quantum many-body physics.
• These molecules are promising for exploring quantum phenomena and interactions.