Driving Rotational Transitions in Molecules on a Chip

✍ Scribed by Dr. Gabriele Santambrogio; Dr. Samuel A. Meek; Dr. Mark J. Abel; Prof. Dr. Liam M. Duffy; Prof. Dr. Gerard Meijer

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 694 KB
• Volume: 12
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1439-4235
• DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201001007

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Polar molecules in selected quantum states can be guided, decelerated, and trapped using electric fields created by microstructured electrodes on a chip. Herein we explore how transitions between two of these quantum states can be induced while the molecules are on the chip. We use CO (a^3^Π~1~, v=0) molecules, prepared in the J=1 rotational level, and induce the J=2←J=1 rotational transition with narrow‐band sub‐THz (mm‐wave) radiation. First, the mm‐wave source is characterized using CO molecules in a freely propagating molecular beam, and both Rabi cycling and rapid adiabatic passage are examined. Then we demonstrate that the mm‐wave radiation can be coupled to CO molecules that are less than 50 μm above the chip. Finally, CO molecules are guided in the J=1 level to the center of the chip where they are pumped to the J=2 level, recaptured, and guided off the chip.