title: Trapping of ultracold polar molecules with a thin-wire electrostatic trap.
abstract: We describe the realization of a dc electric-field trap for ultracold polar molecules, the thin-wire electrostatic trap (TWIST). The thin wires that form the electrodes of the TWIST allow us to superimpose the trap onto a magneto-optical trap (MOT). In our experiment, ultracold polar NaCs molecules in their electronic ground state are created in the MOT via photoassociation, achieving a continuous accumulation in the TWIST of molecules in low-field seeking states. Initial measurements show that the TWIST trap lifetime is limited only by the background pressure in the chamber.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, and The Laboratory for Laser Energetics, The University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kleinert
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Haimberger
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Zabawa
authors.forename: N P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Bigelow