Magnetic Feshbach resonances in collisions of non-magnetic closed-shell $^1\Sigma$ molecules

TL;DR

This paper investigates the potential for magnetic Feshbach resonances in ultracold collisions of non-magnetic $^1 ext{Sigma}$ molecules, showing they could be detectable and useful for controlling molecular interactions.

Contribution

It provides quantum scattering calculations demonstrating that $^1 ext{Sigma}$ molecules can exhibit detectable magnetic Feshbach resonances despite lacking unpaired electrons.

Findings

Resonance widths may exceed 1 milliGauss

Resonances are potentially detectable experimentally

Hyperfine interactions can induce Feshbach resonances in non-magnetic molecules

Abstract

Magnetic Feshbach resonances play a central role in experimental research of atomic gases at ultracold temperatures, as they allow one to control the microscopic interactions between ultracold atoms by tuning an applied magnetic field. These resonances arise due to strong hyperfine interactions between the unpaired electron and the nuclear magnetic moment of the alkali metal atoms. A major thrust of current research is to create an ultracold gas of diatomic alkali-metal molecules in the ground rovibrational state of the ground electronic $^1\Sigma$ state. Unlike alkali metal atoms, $^1\Sigma$ diatomic molecules have no unpaired electrons. However, the hyperfine interactions of molecules may give rise to magnetic Feshbach resonances. We use quantum scattering calculations to study the possible width of these resonances. Our results show that the widths of magnetic Feshbach resonances in ultracold molecule-molecule collisions for $^1\Sigma$ molecules may exceed 1 milliGauss, rendering such resonances experimentally detectable. We hope that this work will stimulate the experimental search of these resonances.