Mainz 2026 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 6: Ultra-cold Plasmas and Rydberg Systems I (joint session A/Q)

Q 6.2: Talk

Monday, March 2, 2026, 12:15–12:30, N 1

Orientation of Trilobite Rydberg Molecules in Electric Fields — •Richard Blättner, Markus Exner, and Herwig Ott — RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau

Rydberg molecules consist of a Rydberg atom bound to a ground state atom. The binding mechanism is based on the scattering interaction between the Rydberg electron and the ground state atom. Trilobite molecules are a subclass of high-l Rydberg molecules that exhibit a huge permanent electric dipole moment and are therefore highly sensible to electric fields. We report on the observation of trilobite molecules oriented by an electric field. We excite these molecules within a cloud of ultracold ⁸⁷Rb atoms using a three-photon excitation scheme. We make the molecules orientation visible on the 2D detector of a reaction microscope taking advantage of state changing collisions.

Keywords: Rydberg Physics; Rydberg Molecules; Trilobite Molecules; Recoil Ion Momentum Spectroscopy