Collisions between cold molecules in a superconducting magnetic trap.

Abstract

Collisions between cold molecules are essential for studying fundamental aspects of quantum chemistry, and may enable the formation of quantum degenerate molecular matter by evaporative cooling. However, collisions between trapped, naturally occurring molecules have not been directly observed so far owing to the low collision rates of dilute samples. Here we report the direct observation of collisions between cold trapped molecules, without the need for laser cooling. We magnetically capture molecular oxygen in an 800-millikelvin-deep superconducting trap and set bounds on the ratio between the elastic- and inelastic-scattering rates-the key parameter determining the feasibility of evaporative cooling. We further co-trap atoms and molecules and identify collisions between them, paving the way for studies of cold interspecies collisions in a magnetic trap.