Sympathetically cooling polar molecules by thermal contact with atoms

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25610114
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Atomic/Molecular/Quantum electronics
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: INOUYE Shin 東京大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 准教授 (10401150)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 量子エレクトロニクス / 原子・分子物理 / 低温物性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The goal of the project was to trap ultracold KRb molecules and ultracold Rb atoms in the same trap and cool molecules via thermal contact with atoms. Evaporative cooling is used for cooling atoms in the trap. In order to avoid inelastic losses, molecules have to be in the rovibrational ground state. This is achieved by first laser-cooling rubidium and potassium atoms, and then combining those atoms by photo-association and STIRAP (Stimulated Raman Adiabatic Passage). In order to stabilize the number of KRb molecules in the rovibrational ground state, we did a careful adjustment for cancelling the magnetic field from the environment. Next, we constructed a cavity-enhanced optical trap for achieving an optical trap whose volume and depth are large enough for capturing large number of molecules. Although we achieved enhancement factor large enough to capture molecules, we could not stabilize it because of mechanical noise.

Free Research Field

量子縮退気体