Formation of ultracold polar molecules in the rovibrational ground state

Observation of Photoassociation Resonances in Ultracold Atom-Molecule Collisions

We report on the observation of photoassociation resonances in ultracold collisions between ^{23}Na^{40}K molecules and ^{40}K atoms. We perform photoassociation in a long-wavelength optical dipole trap to form deeply bound triatomic molecules in electronically excited states. The atom-molecule Feshbach resonance is used to enhance the free-bound Franck-Condon overlap. The photoassociation into well-defined quantum states of excited triatomic molecules is identified by observing resonantly enhanced loss features. These loss features depend on the polarization of the photoassociation lasers, allowing us to assign rotational quantum numbers. The observation of ultracold atom-molecule photoassociation resonances paves the way toward preparing ground-state triatomic molecules, provides a new high-resolution spectroscopy technique for polyatomic molecules, and is also important to atom-molecule Feshbach resonances.

Dipolar physics: a review of experiments with magnetic quantum gases

Since the achievement of quantum degeneracy in gases of chromium atoms in 2004, the experimental investigation of ultracold gases made of highly magnetic atoms has blossomed. The field has yielded the observation of many unprecedented phenomena, in particular those in which long-range and anisotropic dipole-dipole interactions (DDIs) play a crucial role. In this review, we aim to present the aspects of the magnetic quantum-gas platform that make it unique for exploring ultracold and quantum physics as well as to give a thorough overview of experimental achievements. Highly magnetic atoms distinguish themselves by the fact that their electronic ground-state configuration possesses a large electronic total angular momentum. This results in a large magnetic moment and a rich electronic transition spectrum. Such transitions are useful for cooling, trapping, and manipulating these atoms. The complex atomic structure and large dipolar moments of these atoms also lead to a dense spectrum of resonances in their two-body scattering behaviour. These resonances can be used to control the interatomic interactions and, in particular, the relative importance of contact over dipolar interactions. These features provide exquisite control knobs for exploring the few- and many-body physics of dipolar quantum gases. The study of dipolar effects in magnetic quantum gases has covered various few-body phenomena that are based on elastic and inelastic anisotropic scattering. Various many-body effects have also been demonstrated. These affect both the shape, stability, dynamics, and excitations of fully polarised repulsive Bose or Fermi gases. Beyond the mean-field instability, strong dipolar interactions competing with slightly weaker contact interactions between magnetic bosons yield new quantum-stabilised states, among which are self-bound droplets, droplet assemblies, and supersolids. Dipolar interactions also deeply affect the physics of atomic gases with an internal degree of freedom as these interactions intrinsically couple spin and atomic motion. Finally, long-range dipolar interactions can stabilise strongly correlated excited states of 1D gases and also impact the physics of lattice-confined systems, both at the spin-polarised level (Hubbard models with off-site interactions) and at the spinful level (XYZ models). In the present manuscript, we aim to provide an extensive overview of the various related experimental achievements up to the present.

Tuning Long-Range Fermion-Mediated Interactions in Cold-Atom Quantum Simulators

Engineering long-range interactions in cold-atom quantum simulators can lead to exotic quantum many-body behavior. Fermionic atoms in ultracold atomic mixtures can act as mediators, giving rise to long-range Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida-type interactions characterized by the dimensionality and density of the fermionic gas. Here, we propose several tuning knobs, accessible in current experimental platforms, that allow one to further control the range and shape of the mediated interactions, extending the existing quantum simulation toolbox. In particular, we include an additional optical lattice for the fermionic mediator, as well as anisotropic traps to change its dimensionality in a continuous manner. This allows us to interpolate between power-law and exponential decays, introducing an effective cutoff for the interaction range, as well as to tune the relative interaction strengths at different distances. Finally, we show how our approach allows one to investigate frustrated regimes that were not previously accessible, where symmetry-protected topological phases as well as chiral spin liquids emerge.

Quantum control of reactions and collisions at ultralow temperatures

At temperatures close to absolute zero, the molecular reactions and collisions are dominantly governed by quantum mechanics. Remarkable quantum phenomena such as quantum tunneling, quantum threshold behavior, quantum resonances, quantum interference, and quantum statistics are expected to be the main features in ultracold reactions and collisions. Ultracold molecules offer great opportunities and challenges in the study of these intriguing quantum phenomena in molecular processes. In this article, we review the recent progress in the preparation of ultracold molecules and the study of ultracold reactions and collisions using ultracold molecules. We focus on the controlled ultracold chemistry and the scattering resonances at ultralow temperatures. The challenges in understanding the complex ultracold reactions and collisions are also discussed.

Realization of Heisenberg models of spin systems with polar molecules in pendular states

Ultra-cold polar diatomic or linear molecules, oriented in an external electric field and mutually coupled by dipole–dipole interactions, can be used to realize the exact Heisenberg XYZ, XXZ and XY models without invoking any approximation.

Mechanistic Insights into Ultracold Chemical Reactions under the Control of the Geometric Phase

Ultracold chemical reactions involve collision temperatures approaching absolute zero, and for molecular systems that exhibit a barrierless and exoergic reaction path significant reactivity can occur. In addition, many molecules contain a conical intersection, and the associated geometric phase has been shown to significantly alter the outcome of ultracold reactions. Here we report a quantum dynamics study for the ultracold O + OH → H + O₂ reaction. An analysis of the scattering wave functions reveals explicitly the nature of the quantum interference between the direct and looping reaction pathways around the conical intersection and thus illustrates how the reaction proceeds under the control of the geometric phase for the first time. The wave function analysis should generalize to other ultracold reactions that contain a conical intersection. Our findings indicate that quantum control techniques such as an optical lattice trap or the initial state orientation may be effective in controlling the reactivity.

Microwave-assisted coherent control of ultracold polar molecules in a ladder-type configuration of rotational states

We demonstrate microwave-assisted coherent control of ultracold 85Rb133Cs molecules in a ladder-type configuration of rotational states. Specifically, we use a probe and a control MW field to address the transitions between the J = 1 → 2 and J = 2 → 3 rotational states of the X1Σ+(v = 0) vibrational level, respectively, and use the control field to modify the response of the probe MW transition by coherently reducing the population of the intermediate J = 2 state. We observe that an increased Rabi frequency of the control field leads to broadening of the probe spectrum splitting and a shift of the central frequency. We apply Akaike's information criterion (AIC) to conclude that the observed coherent spectral response appears across the crossover regime between electromagnetically induced transparency and Aulter-Townes splitting. Our work is a significant development in microwave-assisted quantum control of ultracold polar molecules with multilevel configuration.

Measurement of the permanent electric dipole moment of ultracold ground state 85Rb133Cs molecules by microwave coherent spectroscopy

We demonstrate measurement of the permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) of ⁸⁵Rb¹³³Cs molecules in the absolute vibrational ground state by microwave (MW) coherent spectroscopy. The rotational states of the considered molecules, which are formed from short-range photoassociation of mixed cold atoms, are nondegenerated under external electric field. To measure the EDM based on electric-field-induced shifts of the sublevels of X¹Σ⁺(v = 0, J = 1) rotational state, we utilized a MW coherent spectroscopy, which has a higher resolution than depletion spectroscopy and one-photon MW spectroscopy and can also eliminate the influence from Stark shift of the excited state existing in both spectroscopies above. In order to acquire accurate electric intensity, electromagnetic induced transparency spectroscopy of ⁸⁵Rb Rydberg atoms is used to implement the calibration. The permanent EDM of ⁸⁵Rb¹³³Cs molecules is finally determined to be 1.266(15) D, which agrees with the theoretical calculations and is comparable with the value of its isotopic molecule.

Universal relations for ultracold reactive molecules

The realization of ultracold polar molecules in laboratories has pushed physics and chemistry to new realms. In particular, these polar molecules offer scientists unprecedented opportunities to explore chemical reactions in the ultracold regime where quantum effects become profound. However, a key question about how two-body losses depend on quantum correlations in interacting many-body systems remains open so far. Here, we present a number of universal relations that directly connect two-body losses to other physical observables, including the momentum distribution and density correlation functions. These relations, which are valid for arbitrary microscopic parameters, such as the particle number, the temperature, and the interaction strength, unfold the critical role of contacts, a fundamental quantity of dilute quantum systems, in determining the reaction rate of quantum reactive molecules in a many-body environment. Our work opens the door to an unexplored area intertwining quantum chemistry; atomic, molecular, and optical physics; and condensed matter physics.

Collective Dissipative Molecule Formation in a Cavity

We propose a mechanism to realize high-yield molecular formation from ultracold atoms. Atom pairs are continuously excited by a laser, and a collective decay into the molecular ground state is induced by a coupling to a lossy cavity mode. Using a combination of analytical and numerical techniques, we demonstrate that the molecular yield can be improved by simply increasing the number of atoms, and can overcome efficiencies of state-of-the-art association schemes. We discuss realistic experimental setups for diatomic polar and nonpolar molecules, opening up collective light matter interactions as a tool for quantum state engineering, enhanced molecule formation, collective dynamics, and cavity mediated chemistry.

Microwave coherent control of ultracold ground-state molecules formed by short-range photoassociation

We report the observation of microwave coherent control of rotational states of ultracold ⁸⁵Rb¹³³Cs molecules formed in their vibronic ground state by short-range photoassociation. Molecules are formed in the single rotational state X(v = 0, J = 1) by exciting pairs of atoms to the short-range state (2)³Π_0^-(v = 11, J = 0), followed by spontaneous decay. We use depletion spectroscopy to record the dynamic evolution of the population distribution and observe clear Rabi oscillations while irradiating on a microwave transition between coupled neighbouring rotational levels. A density-matrix formalism that accounts for longitudinal and transverse decay times reproduces both the dynamic evolution during the coherent process and the equilibrium population. The coherent control reported here is valuable both for investigating coherent quantum effects and for applications of cold polar molecules produced by continuous short-range photoassociation.

Observation of photoassociation spectroscopy of ultralong 37D5/2 + 6S1/2Cs2 Rydberg molecules

We present an experimental observation of 37D_5/2 + 6S_1/2Cs₂ Rydberg-ground molecules by employing a two-photon photoassociation method. Two distinct Rydberg-ground molecular signals, deep and shallow bound molecules, are observed at the red detuning of atomic line. In theory, the model of scattering interaction between the Rydberg electron and ground-state atom is used to simulate the experiments. Two potential energy curves with energy minimum, deep pure triplet ³Σ and shallow hyperfine-mixed singlet-triplet ^1,3Σ potentials, refer to the attained Rydberg-ground molecular signals, respectively. Calculations of the binding energy of triplet ³Σ and mixed ^1,3Σv = 0 states are compared with the measurements. The agreement between the calculated and measured values of the binding energy yields zero-energy scattering lengths a_s ^T(0) = -19.2a₀ and a_s ^S(0) = -1.3a₀, respectively.

Hyperfine structure of the NaCs b3Π2 state near the dissociation limit 3S1/2 + 6P3/2 observed with ultracold atomic photoassociation

We report new observations of the hyperfine structure in three ro-vibrational levels of the b³Π₂ state of NaCs near the dissociation limit 3S_1/2 + 6P_3/2. The experiment was done via photoassociation of ultracold atoms in a dual-species dark-spot magneto-optical trap, and the spectra were measured as atomic trap losses. The simulation of the hyperfine structure showed that the greater part of the observed structure belongs to almost isolated levels of the b³Π₂ state, but there are other parts of mixed character where the contribution from the ¹Σ symmetry dominates.

Probing ultracold chemistry using ion spectrometry

Reactions between KRb molecules at sub-microkelvin temperatures were probed using ion spectrometry.

Production of ultracold 85Rb133Cs molecules in the lowest ground state via the B1Π1 short-range state

We investigate the production of cold ⁸⁵Rb¹³³Cs molecules in the lowest vibronic level of the ground electronic state via the B¹Π₁ short-range state. The photoassociation (PA) spectra of the B¹Π₁ state, including newly observed transition to 2 vibronic levels, are obtained by high sensitivity time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Based on these PA spectra, the harmonic and anharmonic constants of vibronic states are obtained, resulting in predicted vibronic energies with an uncertainty of 1-2 cm^-1. The B¹Π₁ (v = 3) state is found to have the maximum production rate for ground-state molecules with a value of 3(1) × 10⁴ s^-1, which is 3 times larger than the value via the previously studied 2³Π_0⁺ (v = 10, J = 0) state with two-photon cascade decay. The populations of J = 0, 1, and 2 rotational levels of X¹Σ⁺ (v = 0) state molecules formed via the B¹Π₁ (v = 3, J = 1) state are measured to be around 20%, 40%, and 20%. To quantify the coupling strength between the B¹Π₁ (v = 3) state and X¹Σ⁺ (v = 0) state, the transition dipole moment between them is measured to be 7.2(2) × 10^-3ea₀, which is also 3 times larger than the value between the 2³Π_0⁺ (v=10) state and X¹Σ⁺ (v = 0) state, meaning the B¹Π₁ (v = 3) state has a stronger coupling with the X¹Σ⁺ (v = 0) state. Our detailed measurements provide relevant parameters for investigation on direct stimulated Raman adiabatic passage transfer between the atomic scattering state and molecular bound state for ⁸⁵Rb¹³³Cs molecules.

Imaging Recoil Ions from Optical Collisions between Ultracold, Metastable Neon Isotopes

We present an experimental scheme that combines the well-established method of velocity-map imaging with a cold trapped metastable neon target. The device is used for obtaining the branching ratios and recoil-ion energy distributions for the penning ionization process in optical collisions of ultracold metastable neon. The potential depth of the highly excited dimer potential is extracted and compared with theoretical calculations. The simplicity to construct, characterize, and apply such a device makes it a unique tool for the low-energy nuclear physics community, enabling opportunities for precision measurements in nuclear decays of cold, trapped, short-lived radioactive isotopes.

Continuous Loading of Ultracold Ground-State ^{85}Rb_{2} Molecules in a Dipole Trap Using a Single Light Beam

We have developed an approach to continuously load ultracold ^{85}Rb_{2} vibrational ground-state molecules into a crossed optical dipole trap from a magneto-optical trap. The technique relies on a single high-power light beam with a broad spectrum superimposed onto a narrow peak at an energy of about 9400  cm^{-1}. This single laser source performs all the required steps: the short-range photoassociation creating ground-state molecules after radiative emission, the cooling of the molecular vibrational population down to the lowest vibrational level v_{X}=0, and the optical trapping of these molecules. Furthermore, we probe by depletion spectroscopy and determine that 75% of the v_{X}=0 ground-state molecules are in the three lowest rotational levels J_{X}=0, 1, 2. The lifetime of the ultracold molecules in the optical dipole trap is limited to about 70 ms by off-resonant light scattering. The proposed technique opens perspectives for the formation of new molecular species in the ultracold domain, which are not yet accessible by well-established approaches.

Observation of photoassociation of ultracold sodium and cesium at the asymptote Na (3S1/2) + Cs (6P1/2)

We report on the production of ultracold heteronuclear NaCs* molecules in a dual-species magneto-optical trap through photoassociation. The electronically excited molecules are formed below the Na (3S_1/2) + Cs (6P_1/2) dissociation limit. 12 resonance lines are detected using trap-loss spectroscopy based on a highly sensitive modulation technique. The highest observed rovibrational level exhibits clear hyperfine structure, which is detected for the first time. This structure is simulated within a simplified model consisting of 4 coupled levels belonging to the initially unperturbed Hund's case "a" electronic states, which have been explored in our previous work that dealt with the Na (3S_1/2) + Cs (6P_3/2) asymptote [W. Liu et al., Phys. Rev. A 94, 032518 (2016)].

Quantum simulations with ultracold atoms in optical lattices

Quantum simulation, a subdiscipline of quantum computation, can provide valuable insight into difficult quantum problems in physics or chemistry. Ultracold atoms in optical lattices represent an ideal platform for simulations of quantum many-body problems. Within this setting, quantum gas microscopes enable single atom observation and manipulation in large samples. Ultracold atom-based quantum simulators have already been used to probe quantum magnetism, to realize and detect topological quantum matter, and to study quantum systems with controlled long-range interactions. Experiments on many-body systems out of equilibrium have also provided results in regimes unavailable to the most advanced supercomputers. We review recent experimental progress in this field and comment on future directions.

Synthetic dimensions in ultracold polar molecules

Synthetic dimensions alter one of the most fundamental properties in nature, the dimension of space. They allow, for example, a real three-dimensional system to act as effectively four-dimensional. Driven by such possibilities, synthetic dimensions have been engineered in ongoing experiments with ultracold matter. We show that rotational states of ultracold molecules can be used as synthetic dimensions extending to many - potentially hundreds of - synthetic lattice sites. Microwaves coupling rotational states drive fully controllable synthetic inter-site tunnelings, enabling, for example, topological band structures. Interactions leads to even richer behavior: when molecules are frozen in a real space lattice with uniform synthetic tunnelings, dipole interactions cause the molecules to aggregate to a narrow strip in the synthetic direction beyond a critical interaction strength, resulting in a quantum string or a membrane, with an emergent condensate that lives on this string or membrane. All these phases can be detected using local measurements of rotational state populations.

Two-photon spectroscopy of the NaLi triplet ground state

We employ two-photon spectroscopy to study the vibrational states of the triplet ground state potential (a³Σ⁺) of the ²³Na⁶Li molecule. Pairs of Na and Li atoms in an ultracold mixture are photoassociated into an excited triplet molecular state, which in turn is coupled to vibrational states of the triplet ground potential. Vibrational state binding energies, line strengths, and potential fitting parameters for the triplet ground a³Σ⁺ potential are reported. We also observe rotational splitting in the lowest vibrational state.

A dynamical process of optically trapped singlet ground state 85Rb133Cs molecules produced via short-range photoassociation

We investigate the dynamical process of optically trapped X¹Σ⁺ (v'' = 0) state ⁸⁵Rb¹³³Cs molecules distributed in J'' = 1 and J'' = 3 rotational states. The considered molecules, formed from short-range photoassociation of mixed cold atoms, are subsequently confined in a crossed optical dipole trap. Based on a phenomenological rate equation, we provide a detailed study of the dynamics of ⁸⁵Rb¹³³Cs molecules during the loading and holding processes. The inelastic collisions of ⁸⁵Rb¹³³Cs molecules in the X¹Σ⁺ (v'' = 0, J'' = 1 and J'' = 3) states with ultracold ⁸⁵Rb (or ¹³³Cs) atoms are measured to be 1.0 (2) × 10^-10 cm³ s^-1 (1.2 (3) × 10^-10 cm³ s^-1). Our work provides a simple and generic procedure for studying the dynamical process of trapped cold molecules in the singlet ground states.

Photoassociation of ultracold NaLi

We perform photoassociation spectroscopy in an ultracold ²³Na-⁶Li mixture to study the c³Σ⁺ excited triplet molecular potential. We observe 50 vibrational states and their substructure to an accuracy of 20 MHz, and provide line strength data from photoassociation loss measurements. An analysis of the vibrational line positions using near-dissociation expansions and a full potential fit is presented. This is the first observation of the c³Σ⁺ potential, as well as photoassociation in the NaLi system.

Microwave spectroscopy measurement of ultracold ground state molecules produced via short-range photoassociation

The high-resolution microwave (MW) spectroscopy is employed to measure the rotational structures of ultracold ⁸⁵Rb¹³³Cs molecules prepared in the X¹Σ⁺ (v = 0) ground state. These ground-state molecules are created using short-range photoassociation (PA) followed by the spontaneous emission. Using a combination of continuous-wave (CW) depletion spectroscopy and photoionization (PI) technique, we obtain the MW spectroscopy by coupling the neighboring rotational levels of ground-state molecules. Based on the frequency spacing obtained from the MW spectroscopy, the rotational constant of X¹Σ⁺ (v = 0) can be accurately determined with the rigid rotor model. The precision of the measurement by MW spectroscopy is found to be 3 orders of magnitude higher than the CW depletion spectroscopy. Our scheme provides a simple and highly accurate method for the measurement of molecular structure.

Pendular trapping conditions for ultracold polar molecules enforced by external electric fields

We theoretically investigate trapping conditions for ultracold polar molecules in optical lattices, when external magnetic and electric fields are simultaneously applied. Our results are based on an accurate electronic-structure calculation of the polar 23Na40K polar molecule in its absolute ground state combined with a calculation of its rovibrational-hyperfine motion. We find that an electric field strength of 5.26(15) kV/cm and an angle of 54.7° between this field and the polarization of the optical laser lead to a trapping design for 23Na40K molecules where decoherences due laser-intensity fluctuations and fluctuations in the direction of its polarization are kept to a minimum. One standard deviation systematic and statistical uncertainties are given in parenthesis. Under such conditions pairs of hyperfine-rotational states of v = 0 molecules, used to induce tunable dipole-dipole interactions between them, experience ultrastable, matching trapping forces.

Dual Hg-Rb magneto-optical trap

We present a two-species laser cooling apparatus capable of simultaneously collecting Rb and Hg atomic gases into a magneto-optical trap (MOT). The atomic sources, laser system, and vacuum set-up are described. While there is a loss of Rb atoms in the MOT due to photoionization by the Hg cooling laser, we show that it does not prevent simultaneous trapping of Rb and Hg. We also demonstrate interspecies collision-induced losses in the ⁸⁷Rb-²⁰²Hg system.

The d 3Π state of LiRb

We report our spectroscopic studies of the d ³Π state of ultra-cold ⁷Li⁸⁵Rb using resonantly enhanced multi-photon ionization and depletion spectroscopy with bound-to-bound transitions originating from the metastable a ³Σ⁺ state. We evaluate the potential of this state for use as the intermediate state in a stimulated-Raman-adiabatic-passage transfer scheme from triplet Feshbach LiRb molecules to the X ¹Σ⁺ ground state and find that the lowest several vibrational levels possess the requisite overlap with initial and final states, as well as convenient energies. Using depletion measurements, we measured the well depth and spin-orbit splitting. We suggest possible pathways for short-range photoassociation using deeply bound vibrational levels of this electronic state.

Production of RbCs Molecules in the Rovibronic Ground State via Short-Range Photoassociation to the 2 1 Π1 , 2 3 Π1 , and 3 3 Σ1+ States

We report the production of ultracold ⁸⁵ Rb¹³³ Cs molecules in their rovibronic ground state X ¹ Σ⁺ (v=0; J=0), by short-range photoassociation (PA) to the 2 ¹ Π₁ , 2 ³ Π₁ , and 3 ³ Σ1+ states. In the PA frequency range from 11650 to 12150 cm^-1 (corresponding to energy levels 15500-16000 cm^-1 above the bottom of the X potential), we have observed 40 sets of new PA lines. For selected PA states, we investigate vibrational branching, rotational branching, and saturation behavior. Among these 40 new PA lines, the 3 ³ Σ1+ (v=3) state has the highest molecule production rate of 2 x 10³  molecules s^-1 into the rovibronic ground state.

Quantum Computation using Arrays of N Polar Molecules in Pendular States

We investigate several aspects of realizing quantum computation using entangled polar molecules in pendular states. Quantum algorithms typically start from a product state |00⋯0⟩ and we show that up to a negligible error, the ground states of polar molecule arrays can be considered as the unentangled qubit basis state |00⋯0⟩ . This state can be prepared by simply allowing the system to reach thermal equilibrium at low temperature (<1 mK). We also evaluate entanglement, characterized by concurrence of pendular state qubits in dipole arrays as governed by the external electric field, dipole-dipole coupling and number N of molecules in the array. In the parameter regime that we consider for quantum computing, we find that qubit entanglement is modest, typically no greater than 10^-4 , confirming the negligible entanglement in the ground state. We discuss methods for realizing quantum computation in the gate model, measurement-based model, instantaneous quantum polynomial time circuits and the adiabatic model using polar molecules in pendular states.

Observation of Rydberg-Atom Macrodimers: Micrometer-Sized Diatomic Molecules

Long-range metastable molecules consisting of two cesium atoms in high Rydberg states have been observed in an ultracold gas. A sequential three-photon two-color photoassociation scheme is employed to form these molecules in states, which correlate to np(n+1)s dissociation asymptotes. Spectral signatures of bound molecular states are clearly resolved at the positions of avoided crossings between long-range van der Waals potential curves. The experimental results are in agreement with simulations based on a detailed model of the long-range multipole-multipole interactions of Rydberg-atom pair states. We show that a full model is required to accurately predict the occurrence of bound Rydberg macrodimers. The macrodimers are distinguished from repulsive molecular states by their behavior with respect to spontaneous ionization and possible decay channels are discussed.

Resonant Rydberg Dressing of Alkaline-Earth Atoms via Electromagnetically Induced Transparency

We develop an approach to generate finite-range atomic interactions via optical Rydberg-state excitation and study the underlying excitation dynamics in theory and experiment. In contrast to previous work, the proposed scheme is based on resonant optical driving and the establishment of a dark state under conditions of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). Analyzing the driven dissipative dynamics of the atomic gas, we show that the interplay between coherent light coupling, radiative decay, and strong Rydberg-Rydberg atom interactions leads to the emergence of sizable effective interactions while providing remarkably long coherence times. The latter are studied experimentally in a cold gas of strontium atoms for which the proposed scheme is most efficient. Our measured atom loss is in agreement with the theoretical prediction based on binary effective interactions between the driven atoms.

Novel p-wave superfluids of fermionic polar molecules

Recently suggested subwavelength lattices offer remarkable prospects for the observation of novel superfluids of fermionic polar molecules. It becomes realistic to obtain a topological p-wave superfluid of microwave-dressed polar molecules in 2D lattices at temperatures of the order of tens of nanokelvins, which is promising for topologically protected quantum information processing. Another foreseen novel phase is an interlayer p-wave superfluid of polar molecules in a bilayer geometry.

Ultracold Nonreactive Molecules in an Optical Lattice: Connecting Chemistry to Many-Body Physics

We derive effective lattice models for ultracold bosonic or fermionic nonreactive molecules (NRMs) in an optical lattice, analogous to the Hubbard model that describes ultracold atoms in a lattice. In stark contrast to the Hubbard model, which is commonly assumed to accurately describe NRMs, we find that the single on-site interaction parameter U is replaced by a multichannel interaction, whose properties we elucidate. Because this arises from complex short-range collisional physics, it requires no dipolar interactions and thus occurs even in the absence of an electric field or for homonuclear molecules. We find a crossover between coherent few-channel models and fully incoherent single-channel models as the lattice depth is increased. We show that the effective model parameters can be determined in lattice modulation experiments, which, consequently, measure molecular collision dynamics with a vastly sharper energy resolution than experiments in a free-space ultracold gas.

The determination of potential energy curve and dipole moment of the (5)0(+) electronic state of (85)Rb(133)Cs molecule by high resolution photoassociation spectroscopy

We present the formation of ultracold (85)Rb(133)Cs molecules in the (5)0(+) electronic state by photoassociation and their detection via resonance-enhanced two-photon ionization. Up to v = 47 vibrational levels including the lowest v = 0 vibrational and lowest J = 0 levels are identified with rotationally resolved high resolution photoassociation spectra. Precise Dunham coefficients are determined for the (5)0(+) state with high accuracy, then the Rydberg-Klein-Rees potential energy curve is derived. The electric dipole moments with respect to the vibrational numbers of the (5)0(+) electronic state of (85)Rb(133)Cs molecule are also measured in the range between 1.9 and 4.8 D. These comprehensive studies on previously unobserved rovibrational levels of the (5)0(+) state are helpful to understand the molecular structure and discover suitable transition pathways for transferring ultracold atoms to deeply bound rovibrational levels of the electronic ground state.

Reactive scattering calculations for (87)Rb+(87)RbHe→Rb2((3)Σ(u)(+),v)+He from ultralow to intermediate energies

We investigate atom-diatom reactive collisions, as a preliminary step,in order to assess the possibility of forming Rb(2) molecules in their lowest triplet electronic state by cold collisions of rubidium atoms on the surface of helium nanodroplets [corrected]. A simple model related to the well-known Rosen treatment of linear triatomic molecules [N. Rosen, J. Chem. Phys. 1, 319 (1933)] in relative coordinates is used, allowing to estimate reactive probabilities for different values of the total angular momentum. The best available full dimensional potential energy surface [Guillon et al., J. Chem. Phys. 136, 174307 (2012)] is employed through the calculations. Noticeable values of the probabilities in the ultracold regime, which numerically fulfill the Wigner threshold law, support the feasibility of the process. The rubidium dimer is mainly produced at high vibrational states, and the reactivity is more efficient for a bosonic helium partner than when the fermion species is considered.

Many-body localization in dipolar systems

Systems of strongly interacting dipoles offer an attractive platform to study many-body localized phases, owing to their long coherence times and strong interactions. We explore conditions under which such localized phases persist in the presence of power-law interactions and supplement our analytic treatment with numerical evidence of localized states in one dimension. We propose and analyze several experimental systems that can be used to observe and probe such states, including ultracold polar molecules and solid-state magnetic spin impurities.

Role of quantum fluctuations in the hexatic phase of cold polar molecules

Two-dimensional crystals melt via an intermediate hexatic phase, which is characterized by an anomalous scaling of spatial and orientational correlation functions and the absence of an attraction between dislocations. We propose a protocol to study the effect of quantum fluctuations on the nature of this phase with a model system of strongly correlated ultracold polar molecules. Dislocations can be located in experiment from local energy differences which induce internal stark shifts in the molecules. We present a criterion to identify the hexatic phase from the statistics of the end points of topological defect strings and find a hexatic phase, which is dominated by quantum fluctuations, between the crystal and superfluid phases.

Accurate potential energy, dipole moment curves, and lifetimes of vibrational states of heteronuclear alkali dimers

We calculate the potential energy curves, the permanent dipole moment curves, and the lifetimes of the ground and excited vibrational states of the heteronuclear alkali dimers XY (X, Y = Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs) in the X(1)Σ(+) electronic state using the coupled cluster with singles doubles and triples method. All-electron quadruple-ζ basis sets with additional core functions are used for Li and Na, and small-core relativistic effective core potentials with quadruple-ζ quality basis sets are used for K, Rb, and Cs. The inclusion of the coupled cluster non-perturbative triple excitations is shown to be crucial for obtaining the accurate potential energy curves. A large one-electron basis set with additional core functions is needed for the accurate prediction of permanent dipole moments. The dissociation energies are overestimated by only 14 cm(-1) for LiNa and by no more than 114 cm(-1) for the other molecules. The discrepancies between the experimental and calculated harmonic vibrational frequencies are less than 1.7 cm(-1), and the discrepancies for the anharmonic correction are less than 0.1 cm(-1). We show that correlation between atomic electronegativity differences and permanent dipole moment of heteronuclear alkali dimers is not perfect. To obtain the vibrational energies and wave functions the vibrational Schrödinger equation is solved with the B-spline basis set method. The transition dipole moments between all vibrational states, the Einstein coefficients, and the lifetimes of the vibrational states are calculated. We analyze the decay rates of the vibrational states in terms of spontaneous emission, and stimulated emission and absorption induced by black body radiation. In all studied heteronuclear alkali dimers the ground vibrational states have much longer lifetimes than any excited states.