Suppression of non-adiabatic losses of molecules from chip-based microtraps

TL;DR

This paper investigates how applying magnetic fields can reduce non-adiabatic losses of polar molecules in chip-based microtraps, improving trapping efficiency by suppressing unwanted transitions.

Contribution

It demonstrates the suppression of non-adiabatic transitions in molecules using magnetic fields, with experimental validation for CO isotopologues.

Findings

Suppression of non-adiabatic losses with magnetic fields.

Quantitative agreement between experiment and theory.

Different effects observed for 12-CO and 13-CO.

Abstract

Polar molecules in selected quantum states can be guided, decelerated and trapped using electric fields created by microstructured electrodes on a chip. Here we explore how non-adiabatic transitions between levels in which the molecules are trapped and levels in which the molecules are not trapped can be suppressed. We use 12-CO and 13-CO (a 3-Pi(1), v=0) molecules, prepared in the upper Lambda-doublet component of the J=1 rotational level, and study the trap loss as a function of an offset magnetic field. The experimentally observed suppression (enhancement) of the non-adiabatic transitions for 12-CO (13-CO) with increasing magnetic field is quantitatively explained.