Journal Article

Precision Spectroscopy of Polarized Molecules in an Ion Trap

Cornell, E. A., Meyer, E. R., Ni, K.-K., Ye, J., Grau, M. C, Bohn, J. L, Cossel, K. C., Loh, H.

2013

Overview

Polar molecules are desirable systems for quantum simulations and cold chemistry. Molecular ions are easily trapped, but a bias electric field applied to polarize them tends to accelerate them out of the trap. We present a general solution to this issue by rotating the bias field slowly enough for the molecular polarization axis to follow but rapidly enough for the ions to stay trapped. We demonstrate Ramsey spectroscopy between Stark-Zeeman subleveis in ¹⁸⁰Hf¹⁹F⁺ with a coherence time of 100 milliseconds. Frequency shifts arising from well-controlled topological (Berry) phases are used to determine magnetic g factors. The rotating-bias-field technique may enable using trapped polar molecules for precision measurement and quantum information science, including the search for an electron electric dipole moment.

• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science,The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subject: Accelerators / Atomic and molecular physics / Dipole moment / Electric dipoles / Electric fields / Electric potential / Electrical bias / Exact sciences and technology / Ions / Large Hadron Collider / Magnetic fields / Magnetism / Magnets / Molecular ions / Molecular physics / Molecular properties and interactions with photons / Molecules / Optical activity and dichroism; magnetooptical and electrooptical spectra / Organic Chemistry / Physics / Rotational states / Spectroscopy / Spectrum analysis / Systematic errors / Zeeman and stark effects