Loss of molecules in magneto-electrostatic traps due to nonadiabatic transitions

TL;DR

This paper investigates how nonadiabatic transitions affect the stability and lifetime of molecules in magneto-electrostatic traps with combined magnetic and electric fields, providing insights for improving trapping techniques.

Contribution

It introduces a reduced molecular model to analyze trap dynamics and evaluates the impact of nonadiabatic transitions on molecule lifetimes in combined field traps.

Findings

Nonadiabatic transitions can cause molecule loss in traps.

Trap geometry influences the likelihood of nonadiabatic transitions.

Maximizing trap lifetime requires controlling nonadiabatic effects.

Abstract

We analyze the dynamics of a paramagnetic, dipolar molecule in a generic "magneto-electrostatic'' trap where both magnetic and electric fields may be present. The potential energy that governs the dynamics of the molecules is found using a reduced molecular model that incorporates the main features of the system. We discuss the shape of the trapping potentials for different field geometries, as well as the possibility of nonadiabatic transitions to untrapped states, i.e., the analog of Majorana transitions in a quadrupole magnetic atomic trap. Maximizing the lifetime of molecules in a trap is of great concern in current experiments, and we assess the effect of nonadiabatic transitions on obtainable trap lifetimes.