title: Optical pumping of trapped neutral molecules by blackbody radiation.
abstract: Optical pumping by blackbody radiation is a feature shared by all polar molecules and fundamentally limits the time that these molecules can be kept in a single quantum state in a trap. To demonstrate and quantify this, we have monitored the optical pumping of electrostatically trapped OH and OD radicals by room-temperature blackbody radiation. Transfer of these molecules to rotationally excited states by blackbody radiation at 295 K limits the 1/e trapping time for OH and OD in the X(2)Pi(3/2), v" =0, J"=3/2(f) state to 2.8 and 7.1 s, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hoekstra
authors.forename: Joop J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Gilijamse
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sartakov
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vanhaecke
authors.forename: Ludwig
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scharfenberg
authors.forename: Sebastiaan Y T
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: van de Meerakker
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Meijer