Multichannel long-range Rydberg molecules

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new class of ultra-long-range Rydberg molecules formed by multichannel Rydberg atoms, enabling favorable laser excitation and multi-scale binding for quantum manipulation.

Contribution

It proposes a generalized multichannel Rydberg molecule model that overcomes excitation challenges and offers novel multi-scale binding properties.

Findings

States with strong quantum defect variation facilitate laser excitation.

Near degeneracies promote admixture of low and high orbital angular momentum.

Multi-scale binding possibilities enable new quantum manipulation options.

Abstract

A generalized class of ultra-long-range Rydberg molecules is proposed which consist of a multichannel Rydberg atom whose outermost electron creates a chemical bond with a distant ground state atom. Such multichannel Rydberg molecules exhibit favorable properties for laser excitation, because states exist where the quantum defect varies strongly with the principal quantum number. The resulting occurrence of near degeneracies with states of high orbital angular momentum promotes the admixture of low $l$ into the high $l$ deeply bound `trilobite' molecule states, thereby circumventing the usual difficulty posed by electric dipole selection rules. Such states also can exhibit multi-scale binding possibilities that could present novel options for quantum manipulation.