# Cold, anisotropically-interacting van der Waals molecule: TiHe

## TL;DR

This study reports the production and detection of the Ti-He van der Waals molecule at cryogenic temperatures, with binding energies aligning with theoretical predictions, enabling new research avenues in low-temperature cluster chemistry.

## Contribution

First experimental realization and spectroscopic characterization of the Ti-He van der Waals molecule at cryogenic temperatures, validated by ab initio calculations.

## Key findings

- Ground-state Ti-He binding energies match theoretical calculations.
- Successful laser-induced fluorescence detection of Ti-He molecules.
- Potential for exploring low-temperature van der Waals cluster chemistry.

## Abstract

We have used laser ablation and helium buffer-gas cooling to produce the titanium-helium van der Waals molecule at cryogenic temperatures. The molecules were detected through laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. Ground-state Ti-He binding energies were determined for the ground and first rotationally excited states from studying equilibrium thermodynamic properties, and found to agree well with theoretical calculations based on newly calculated ab initio Ti-He interaction potentials, opening up novel possibilities for studying the formation, dynamics, and non-universal chemistry of van der Waals clusters at low temperatures.