Alignment of s -state Rydberg molecules in magnetic fields

Abstract

We unravel some peculiar properties of ultralong-range Rydberg molecules formed by an $s$-state $^{87}$Rb Rydberg atom and a corresponding ground-state atom whose electronic orbitals are spherically symmetric and therefore should not be influenced by the presence of weak magnetic fields. However, the electron-atom interaction, which establishes the molecular bond, is under certain conditions subject to a sizeable spin-orbit coupling and, hence, sensitive to the magnetic field. This mechanism can be harnessed to counterintuitively align the $s$-state molecules with respect to the field axis. We demonstrate this by analyzing the angular-dependent Born-Oppenheimer potential energy surfaces and the supported vibrational molecular states. Our predictions open novel possibilities to access the physics of relativistic electron-atom scattering experimentally.