High-field Seeking Research Articles

Focusing of a cold PbO molecular beam with a superconducting microwave resonator

Focusing of a molecular beam in a high-field seeking state by an intense microwave standing wave is demonstrated. An 18 GHz microwave field that is near resonant to a rotational transition deflects a molecular beam due to the first-order ac Stark shift. The intense standing wave is obtained with a 47 cm long superconducting microwave resonator with a high unloaded quality factor of about 106. A cold molecular beam of PbO in the rotational ground state with a center velocity of 145 ms−1 is efficiently focused to have about a factor 10 enhancement of the flux density by the resonator with a microwave input power of about 1 W, despite the heaviness of the PbO molecule.

A sensitive detection of high Rydberg atom with large dipole moment**Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 91421305, 91121005, and 11674359) and the National Key Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2013CB922003).

We report a sensitive detection of high Rydberg atom with large dipole moment utilizing its deflection near a pair of parallel cylindrical copper rods which are oppositely charged. When the low-field seeking state Rydberg atoms fly across the gradient electric field formed by the pair of rods, they will be pushed away from the rods while the high-field seeking state ones will be attracted towards the rods. These atoms will form different patterns on an ion imaging system placed downwards at the end of the rods. The spatial distribution of the deflected atoms on the imaging system is also simulated, in good agreement with the experimental results, from which we can deduce the quantum state information of the excited atoms. This state resolvable Rydberg atom detection can be used for the dynamics research of the dipole–dipole interaction between atoms with large dipole moments.

Annexing magic and tune-out wavelengths to the clock transitions of the alkaline-earth-metal ions

We present additional magic wavelengths ($\lambda_{\rm{magic}}$) for the clock transitions in the alkaline-earth metal ions considering circular polarized light aside from our previously reported values in [J. Kaur et al., Phys. Rev. A {\bf 92}, 031402(R) (2015)] for the linearly polarized light. Contributions from the vector component to the dynamic dipole polarizabilities ($\alpha_d(\omega)$) of the atomic states associated with the clock transitions play major roles in the evaluation of these $\lambda_{\rm{magic}}$, hence facilitating in choosing circular polarization of lasers in the experiments. Moreover, the actual clock transitions in these ions are carried out among the hyperfine levels. The $\lambda_{\rm{magic}}$ values in these hyperfine transitions are estimated and found to be different from $\lambda_{\rm{magic}}$ for the atomic transitions due to different contributions coming from the vector and tensor part of $\alpha_d(\omega)$. Importantly, we also present $\lambda_{\rm{magic}}$ values that depend only on the scalar component of $\alpha_d(\omega)$ for their uses in a specially designed trap geometry for these ions so that they can be used unambiguously among any hyperfine levels of the atomic states of the clock transitions. We also present $\alpha_d(\omega)$ values explicitly at the 1064 nm for the atomic states associated with the clock transitions which may be useful for creating "high-field seeking" traps for the above ions using the Nd:YAG laser. The tune out wavelengths at which the states would be free from the Stark shifts are also presented. Accurate values of the electric dipole matrix elements required for these studies are given and trends of electron correlation effects in determining them are also highlighted.

Quantum modes of atomic waveguides by series techniques

Atom waveguides are used to manipulate cold atoms in atom interferometers. The creation of atom interferometers using cold atoms in miniature magnetic waveguides is one of many goals of current atom chip research. To achieve a complete understanding of atom propagation in a complicated device such as a guided atom interferometer, a detailed understanding of the ground state and other nearby states is needed. The Frobenius series solutions for the bounded transverse modes of an atomic waveguide are presented here and arbitrary precision arithmetic is used to evaluate the series solutions without roundoff errors. The waveguide potential considered is an infinitely long quadrupole magnetic potential as used in various atom chip waveguides. The simplest case of a guided spin-12 particle is presented here. However, the basic series techniques can be extended to both higher order multipole potentials and higher spin particles, including atoms with hyperfine splitting. The low-field and the high-field seeking states together form the spectrum of the waveguide Hamiltonian. In the limit where the transverse dimension of the guide tends to infinity, the spectrum of the guide changes from a discrete set of low- and high-field seeking states to a continuum of high-field seeking states embedded with a discrete set of low-field seeking states. Although the low-field seeking states are not truly bound, the system is an approximate example of bound states in a continuum first discussed by von Neumann and Wigner. Depending on boundary conditions, the solutions form either a discrete set or a continuum of orthogonal waveguide modes. These are useful for further analysis of ideal waveguide behavior as well as the detailed perturbation studies necessary for analysis of atomic waveguide interferometers.

Self-Ordered Limit Cycles, Chaos, and Phase Slippage with a Superfluid inside an Optical Resonator.

We study dynamical phases of a driven Bose-Einstein condensate coupled to the light field of a high-Q optical cavity. For high field seeking atoms at red detuning the system is known to show a transition from a spatially homogeneous steady state to a self-ordered regular lattice exhibiting superradiant scattering into the cavity. For blue atom pump detuning the particles are repelled from the maxima of the light-induced optical potential suppressing scattering. We show that this generates a new dynamical instability of the self-ordered phase, leading to the appearance of self-ordered stable limit cycles characterized by large amplitude self-sustained oscillations of both the condensate density and cavity field. The limit cycles evolve into chaotic behavior by period doubling. Large amplitude oscillations of the condensate are accompanied by phase slippage through soliton nucleation at a rate that increases in the chaotic regime. Different from a superfluid in a closed setup, this driven dissipative superfluid is not destroyed by the proliferation of solitons since kinetic energy is removed through cavity losses.

Magnetic levitation for effective loading of cold cesium atoms in a crossed dipole trap

We report a detailed study of effective magnetically levitated loading of cold atoms in a crossed dipole trap: an appropriate magnetic field gradient precisely compensates for the destructive gravitational force of the atoms and an additional bias field simultaneously eliminates the antitrapping potential induced by the magnetic field gradient. The magnetic levitation is required for a large-volume crossed dipole trap to form a shallow but very effective loading potential, making it a promising method for loading and trapping more cold atoms. For cold cesium atoms in the $F=3, mF=3$ state prepared by three-dimensional degenerated Raman sideband cooling, a large number of atoms $\ensuremath{\sim}3.2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{6}$ have been loaded into a large-volume crossed dipole trap with the help of the magnetic levitation technique. The dependence of the number of atoms loaded and trapped in the dipole trap on the magnetic field gradient and bias field, respectively, is in good agreement with the theoretical analysis. The optimum magnetic field gradient of 31.13 G/cm matches the theoretical value of 31.3 G/cm well. This method can be used to obtain more cold atoms or a large number of Bose-Einstein condensation atoms for many atomic species in high-field seeking states.

A magnetic trap for high-field seeking neutron spin states

A first experimental demonstration of a new type of magnetic trap for ultra-cold neutrons is presented. High-field seeking spin-states are trapped in a potential formed by the magnetic field of a straight wire and a repulsive coating on the wire surface. Life-times of the trapped neutrons of 60 s could be observed. This configuration can in principle be used to form bound states of the wave function on the surface of the wire to probe new forces at short distances. Further applications include the use as a guide and selector for perfectly polarized neutrons.

Atomic domain magnetic nanoalloys: interplay between molecular structure and temperature dependent magnetic and dielectric properties in manganese doped tin clusters.

We present extensive temperature dependent (16-70 K) magnetic and electric molecular beam deflection measurements on neutral manganese doped tin clusters Mn/SnN (N = 9-18). Cluster geometries are identified by comparison of electric deflection profiles and quantum chemical data obtained from DFT calculations. Most clusters adopt endohedral cage structures and all clusters exhibit non-vanishing magnetic dipole moments. In the high temperature regime all species show exclusively high field seeking magnetic response and the magnetic dipole moments are extracted from the shift of the molecular beam. At low nozzle temperatures, some of the clusters show considerably broadened beam profiles due to non-uniform deflection in the magnetic field. The results reflect the influence of the chemical environment on the magnetic properties of the transition metal in atomic domain magnetic nanoalloys. Different ground state spin multiplicities and coupling of rotational and vibrational degrees of freedom with the spin angular momentum of isolated clusters of different size apparently cause these variations of spin orientation. This is discussed by taking electronic and molecular structure data into account.

First observation of trapped high-field seeking ultracold neutron spin states

Ultracold neutrons were stored in a volume, using a magnetic dipole field shutter. Radial confinement was provided by material walls. Low-field seeking neutrons were axially confined above the magnetic field. High-field seeking neutrons are trapped inside the magnetic field. They can systematically shift the measured neutron lifetime to lower values in experiments with magnetic confinement.

Optimizing the resolution of the alternating-gradientm/μselector

We study the focusing of large neutral molecules in a molecular beam using electric fields. Since all quantum states of these molecules are high-field seeking under the practical experimental conditions, alternating gradient (AG) focusing has to be applied. The optimal ac frequency that yields the highest transmission depends on $m/\ensuremath{\mu}$, where $\ensuremath{\mu}$ is the dipole moment and $m$ denotes the mass. Therefore, an AG focuser can be used to select species with different $m/\ensuremath{\mu}$ ratios, e.g., the conformers of neutral molecules [Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 133003 (2008)]. Here we demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally how the resolution of such an $m/\ensuremath{\mu}$ selector can be optimized.

High Field Seeking State Atom Laser and Properties of Flux

We present an experimental study on the continuous atom laser. The experiments show that a high field seeking state atom laser with stable flux can be formed by increasing the strength of outcoupling before large density fluctuations appear. It is easy to obtain a long length or high speed output with this kind of atom laser.

Directional states of symmetric-top molecules produced by combined static and radiative electric fields

We show that combined electrostatic and radiative fields can greatly amplify the directional properties, such as axis orientation and alignment, of symmetric top molecules. In our computational study, we consider all four symmetry combinations of the prolate and oblate inertia and polarizability tensors, as well as the collinear and perpendicular (or tilted) geometries of the two fields. In, respectively, the collinear or perpendicular fields, the oblate or prolate polarizability interaction due to the radiative field forces the permanent dipole into alignment with the static field. Two mechanisms are found to be responsible for the amplification of the molecules' orientation, which ensues once the static field is turned on: (a) permanent-dipole coupling of the opposite-parity tunneling doublets created by the oblate polarizability interaction in collinear static and radiative fields and (b) hybridization of the opposite parity states via the polarizability interaction and their coupling by the permanent dipole interaction to the collinear or perpendicular static field. In perpendicular fields, the oblate polarizability interaction, along with the loss of cylindrical symmetry, is found to preclude the wrong-way orientation, causing all states to become high-field seeking with respect to the static field. The adiabatic labels of the states in the tilted fields depend on the adiabatic path taken through the parameter space comprised of the permanent and induced-dipole interaction parameters and the tilt angle between the two field vectors.

Light-Induced Dielectrophoretic Manipulation of DNA

Light-induced dielectrophoretic movement of polystyrene beads and λ-DNA is studied using thin films of amorphous hydrogenated silicon as local photoaddressable electrodes with a diameter of 4 μm. Positive (high-field seeking) dielectrophoretic movement is observed for both types of objects. The absence of strong negative (low-field seeking) dielectrophoresis of DNA at high frequencies is in agreement with the similarity of the dielectric constants of DNA and water, the real part of the dielectric function. The corresponding imaginary part of the dielectric function governed by the conductivity of DNA can be determined from a comparison of the frequency dependence of the dielectrophoretic drift velocity with the Clausius-Mossotti relation.

A Linear AC Trap for Polar Molecules in Their Ground State

A linear AC trap for polar molecules in high-field seeking states has been devised and implemented, and its characteristics have been investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The trap is loaded with slow 15ND3 molecules in their ground state (para-ammonia) from a Stark decelerator. The trap's geometry offers optimal access as well as improved loading. We present measurements of the dependence of the trap's performance on the switching frequency, which exhibit a characteristic structure due to nonlinear resonance effects. The molecules are found to oscillate in the trap under the influence of the trapping forces, which were analyzed using 3D numerical simulations. On the basis of expansion measurements, molecules with a velocity and a position spread of 2.1 m/s and 0.4 mm, respectively, are still accepted by the trap. This corresponds to a temperature of 2.0 mK. From numerical simulations, we find the phase-space volume that can be confined by the trap (the acceptance) to be 50 mm3 (m/s)3.

Measurement of the three-dimensional velocity distribution of Stark-decelerated Rydberg atoms

The full three-dimensional velocity distributions of decelerated and accelerated particles in a Stark decelerator for Rydberg atoms and molecules have been measured. In the experiment, argon atoms in a supersonic beam are excited to low-field and high-field seeking Stark states with principal quantum number in the range n=15 to 25 and are decelerated in a 3 mm long decelerator consisting of four electrodes on which time-dependent voltages are applied. The time dependence of the resulting inhomogeneous electric field is chosen such that the decelerating force acting on the high-field seeking states is maximized at each point along the trajectories. The three-dimensional velocity distribution of the atoms before and after the deceleration is determined by measuring times of flight and two-dimensional images of the atomic cloud on the detector. Under optimal deceleration conditions, the decrease in kinetic energy in the longitudinal dimension amounts to 1.0×10-21 J and the increase in mean kinetic energy in the transverse dimensions is only 1.0×10-23 J. The corresponding temperatures of 100 mK and 300 mK in the two transverse dimensions are sufficiently low that trapping can be envisaged. The possibility of focusing a Rydberg atom beam is demonstrated experimentally.

Magnetic ordering in clusters of the group 3 transition elements:Scn,Yn, andLan

The magnetic properties of isolated clusters composed of scandium, yttrium, and lanthanum containing 5-20 atoms have been investigated in a Stern-Gerlach molecular-beam deflection experiment. The molecular-beam profiles for most clusters in this size range display either high-field deflections indicative of superparamagnetism or symmetric broadening indicative of locked moment behavior. The magnitude of the deflections for those clusters exhibiting high-field seeking behavior indicate susceptibilities that are significantly larger in magnitude than those expected based on the extrapolation of the susceptibility of the bulk solids, signifying that these species are magnetically ordered. Magnetic moments for Sc{sub n} and Y{sub n}, evolve with size in patterns that are strikingly similar to one another. Several clusters stand out as bona fide high-spin molecular magnets: Sc{sub 13} (6.0{+-}0.2{mu}{sub b}),Y{sub 8} (5.5{+-}0.1{mu}{sub b}),Y{sub 13} (8.8{+-}0.1{mu}{sub b}), and La{sub 6} (4.8{+-}0.2{mu}{sub b})

On the electrostatic deceleration of argon atoms in high Rydberg states by time-dependent inhomogeneous electric fields

Argon atoms in a pulsed supersonic expansion are prepared in selected Stark components of Rydberg states with effective principal quantum number in the range n* = 15–25. When traversing regions of inhomogeneous electric fields, these atoms get accelerated or decelerated depending on whether the Stark states are low- or high-field seeking states. Using a compact electrode design, which enables the application of highly inhomogeneous and time-dependent electric fields, the Rydberg atoms experience kinetic energy changes of up to 1.2 × 10−21 J (i.e. 60 cm−1 in spectroscopic units) in a single acceleration/deceleration stage of 3 mm length. The resulting differences in the velocities of the low- and high-field seeking states are large enough that the corresponding distributions of times of flight to the Rydberg particle detector are fully separated. As a result, efficient spectral searches of the Rydberg states best suited for acceleration/deceleration experiments are possible. Numerical simulations of the particle trajectories are used to analyse the time-of-flight distributions and to optimize the time dependence of the inhomogeneous electric fields. The decay of the Rydberg states by fluorescence, collisions and transitions induced by black-body radiation takes place on a timescale long enough not to interfere significantly with the deceleration during the first ∼5 µs.

Controlling the motion of hydrogen molecules: design of a two-dipole Rydberg decelerator

Hydrogen molecules are excited by 1 + 1′ (VUV + UV) laser excitation to Rydberg states ( n = 15–20) in the inhomogeneous field generated by an electrostatic dipole. High-field or low-field seeking Stark states are selected spectroscopically and experience a force either towards or away from the dipole, respectively. Deflection of the molecular beam is observed if the dipole is oriented parallel to the beam direction, whereas acceleration or deceleration is observed for a perpendicular orientation. The measured deflections and acceleration/deceleration are consistent with trajectory simulations based on the known field and Stark map. A two-dipole device is proposed that creates a travelling potential minimum and would enable deceleration of an H 2 beam seeded in argon to a mean velocity of zero. Simulations are presented of its characteristics.

Ac Electric Trap for Ground-State Molecules

We here report on the realization of an electrodynamic trap, capable of trapping neutral atoms and molecules in both low-field and high-field seeking states. Confinement in three dimensions is achieved by switching between two electric field configurations that have a saddle point at the center of the trap, i.e., by alternating a focusing and a defocusing force in each direction. The ac trapping of 15ND(3) molecules is experimentally demonstrated, and the stability of the trap is studied as a function of the switching frequency. A 1 mK sample of 15ND(3) molecules in the high-field seeking component of the |J,K=|1,1 level, the ground state of para-ammonia, is trapped in a volume of about 1 mm(3).

A quasi-analytic model of a linear Stark accelerator/decelerator for polar molecules

This article describes a quasi-analytic model of a linear Stark accelerator/decelerator for polar molecules in both their low- and high-field seeking states, and examines the dynamics of the acceleration/deceleration process and its phase stability. The requisite time-dependent inhomogeneous Stark fields, used in current experiments, are Fourier-analyzed and found to consist of a superposition of partial waves with well-defined phase velocities. The kinematics of the interaction of molecules with the partial waves is discussed and the notion of a phase of a molecule in a travelling field is introduced. Next, the net potential and the net force that act on the molecules are derived. A special case, the first-harmonic accelerator/decelerator, is introduced. This represents a model system many of whose properties can be obtained analytically. The first-harmonic accelerator/decelerator dynamics is presented and discussed along with that of the isomorphic biased-pendulum problem. Finally, the general properties of the velocity of the molecules in a phase-stable accelerator/decelerator are examined.