Abstract
We explore the electronic structure and rovibrational properties of an ultralong-range triatomic Rydberg molecule formed by a Rydberg atom and a ground state heteronuclear diatomic molecule. We focus here on the interaction of a Rb() Rydberg atom with a KRb(N = 0) diatomic polar molecule. There is significant electronic hybridization with the Rb(n = 24, ) degenerate manifold. The polar diatomic molecule is allowed to rotate in the electric fields generated by the Rydberg electron and core as well as an external field. We investigate the metamorphosis of the Born–Oppenheimer potential curves, essential for the binding of the molecule, with varying electric field and analyze the resulting properties such as the vibrational structure and the alignment and orientation of the polar diatomic molecule.
Highlights
While in the early years of Rydberg physics there was a substantial focus on high resolution spectroscopy [1] the advent of Bose–Einstein condensation [2] has brought Rydberg atoms and molecules into the focus of fields that were previously not considering these highly excited and fragile quantum objects
The energy of the electronic states is decreased by a few GHz. This reduction in energy depends on the separation between the Rb atom and the KRb molecule, and the smaller R the smaller this reduction is. These energy shifts can be explained in terms of the dominant contribution to the electric field that binds the Rydberg triatomic molecule: if it is due to the Rb+ core they are smaller, whereas if it is due to the Rydberg electron they are larger reflecting the impact of the external field on the Rydberg wave function
We have investigated ultralong-range triatomic Rydberg molecules formed by a Rydberg rubidium atom and the KRb diatomic rotational molecule in the presence of electric fields
Summary
Berg molecule formed by a Rydberg atom and a ground state heteronuclear diatomic molecule. We focus here on the interaction of a Rb(n, l ⩾ 3) Rydberg atom with a KRb(N = 0) diatomic polar molecule. There is significant electronic hybridization with the Rb(n = 24, l ⩾ 3) degenerate manifold. The polar diatomic molecule is allowed to rotate in the electric fields generated by the Rydberg electron and core as well as an external field. We investigate the metamorphosis of the Born–Oppenheimer potential curves, essential for the binding of the molecule, with varying electric field and analyze the resulting properties such as the vibrational structure and the alignment and orientation of the polar diatomic molecule
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