Trapping of ultracold polar molecules with a thin-wire electrostatic trap.
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.
Kleinert
J
J
Department of Physics and Astronomy, and The Laboratory for Laser Energetics, The University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
Haimberger
C
C
Zabawa
P J
PJ
Bigelow
N P
NP