Sympathetic Cooling of Molecular Ions in Selected Rotational and Vibrational States Produced by Threshold Photoionization

Journal Article · Fri Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.105.143001· OSTI ID:21466988

Xin, Tong; Winney, Alexander H; Willitsch, Stefan ^[1]

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1. Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 80, 4056 Basel (Switzerland)

We present a new method for the generation of rotationally and vibrationally state-selected, translationally cold molecular ions in ion traps. Our technique is based on the state-selective threshold photoionization of neutral molecules followed by sympathetic cooling of the resulting ions with laser-cooled calcium ions. Using N{sub 2}{sup +} ions as a test system, we achieve >90% selectivity in the preparation of the ground rovibrational level and state lifetimes on the order of 15 minutes limited by collisions with background-gas molecules. The technique can be employed to produce a wide range of apolar and polar molecular ions in the ground and excited rovibrational states. Our approach opens up new perspectives for cold quantum-controlled ion-molecule-collision studies, frequency-metrology experiments with state-selected molecular ions and molecular-ion qubits.

• OSTI ID: 21466988
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 105, Issue 14; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.143001; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
CALCIUM IONS
COOLING
GROUND STATES
ION-MOLECULE COLLISIONS
LIFETIME
MOLECULAR IONS
MOLECULES
NITROGEN IONS
PHOTOIONIZATION
QUBITS
ROTATIONAL STATES
TRAPS
VIBRATIONAL STATES
CHARGED PARTICLES
COLLISIONS
ENERGY LEVELS
EXCITED STATES
INFORMATION
ION COLLISIONS
IONIZATION
IONS
MOLECULE COLLISIONS
QUANTUM INFORMATION