Surface-induced heating of cold polar molecules

TL;DR

This paper investigates how surfaces at finite temperature induce rotational and vibrational heating in cold polar molecules, analyzing the effects of distance, surface properties, and molecular characteristics using quantum electrodynamics.

Contribution

It provides analytical and numerical methods to estimate surface-induced heating rates and identifies critical distances where surface effects dominate.

Findings

Surface-induced heating depends on molecule-surface distance and temperature.

Critical distances determine when surface effects surpass other heating sources.

A simple formula estimates heating rates for various molecules and surfaces.

Abstract

We study the rotational and vibrational heating of diatomic molecules placed near a surface at finite temperature on the basis of macroscopic quantum electrodynamics. The internal molecular evolution is governed by transition rates that depend on both temperature and position. Analytical and numerical methods are used to investigate the heating of several relevant molecules near various surfaces. We determine the critical distances at which the surface itself becomes the dominant source of heating and we investigate the transition between the long-range and short-range behaviour of the heating rates. A simple formula is presented that can be used to estimate the surface-induced heating rates of other molecules of interest. We also consider how the heating depends on the thickness and composition of the surface.