Dresden 2011 – scientific programme
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MO: Fachverband Molekülphysik
MO 6: Poster: Cold Molecules
MO 6.3: Poster
Monday, March 14, 2011, 16:00–18:00, P1
Progress Towards Optoelectrical Cooling of Polar Molecules — •Martin Zeppenfeld, Barbara G.U. Englert, Rosa Glöckner, Manuel Mielenz, Christian Sommer, Laurens van Buuren, Michael Motsch, and Gerhard Rempe — Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
We present progress towards the experimental realisation of optoelectrical cooling [1], a general laser cooling method for polar molecules. In addition to a microstructured electric trap for the molecules, we have been setting up a suitable IR laser and millimeter-wave system. Referencing the pump and signal of a CW OPO to a frequency comb allows for the generation of high-power IR light over a huge wavelength range from 2600 cm−1 to 4000 cm−1 with a linewidth and stability far below 1 MHz. This allows the fundamental C-H stretch mode of a large number of molecules to be addressed. Saturation spectroscopy is used to determine the frequencies of the most relevant rovibrational transitions of the test molecule CFH3 (fluoromethane) to within ∼100 kHz.
Millimeter-wave radiation at ∼150 GHz is produced by frequency duodectupling (x12) the output of a microwave synthesizer. This allows the J=2 to J=3 transition of CFH3 to be addressed. Both the IR as well as the millimeter-wave system have been used to perform depletion spectroscopy of cold molecules in the microstructured trap. Using the ability to tune the homogeneous electric fields inside the trap, Stark spectroscopy can be performed with individual M-sublevels being clearly resolved.
[1] M. Zeppenfeld et al., Phys. Rev. A 80, 041401(R) (2009)