Optical Shielding of Destructive Chemical Reactions between Ultracold Ground-State NaRb Molecules
Abstract
We propose a method to suppress the chemical reactions between ultracold bosonic ground-state 23Na 87Rb molecules based on optical shielding. By applying a laser with a frequency blue-detuned from the transition between the lowest rovibrational level of the electronic ground state X1Σ+(vX=0 ,jX=0 ) , and the long-lived excited level b3Π0(vb=0 ,jb=1 ) , the long-range dipole-dipole interaction between the colliding molecules can be engineered, leading to a dramatic suppression of reactive and photoinduced inelastic collisions, for both linear and circular laser polarizations. We demonstrate that the spontaneous emission from b3Π0(vb=0 ,jb=1 ) does not deteriorate the shielding process. This opens the possibility for a strong increase of the lifetime of cold molecule traps and for an efficient evaporative cooling. We also anticipate that the proposed mechanism is valid for alkali-metal diatomics with sufficiently large dipole-dipole interactions.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- October 2020
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.153202
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2006.09014
- Bibcode:
- 2020PhRvL.125o3202X
- Keywords:
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- Condensed Matter - Quantum Gases;
- Physics - Atomic Physics
- E-Print:
- Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 153202 (2020)