High-resolution spectroscopy on cold electrically trapped formaldehyde

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates high-resolution molecular spectroscopy of cold formaldehyde molecules trapped electrically, achieving sub-kHz precision and paving the way for ultra-precise measurements on various molecules.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method combining microstructured electric trapping and optoelectrical cooling to perform ultra-precise spectroscopy with minimal Stark broadening.

Findings

Reduced Stark broadening below 1 kHz

Doppler-limited linewidths down to 3.8 kHz

Sub-kHz uncertainty in line position

Abstract

We present precision spectroscopy on electrically trapped formaldehyde (H$_2$CO), demonstrating key attributes which will enable molecular spectroscopy with unprecedented precision. Our method makes use of a microstructured electric trap with homogeneous fields in the trap center and rotational transitions with minimal Stark broadening at a 'magic' offset electric field. Using molecules cooled to the low millikelvin temperature regime via optoelectrical Sisyphus cooling, we reduce Stark broadening on the $J=5\leftarrow4$ ($K=3$) transition at 364 GHz to well below 1 kHz, observe Doppler-limited linewidths down to 3.8 kHz, and determine the line position with sub-kHz uncertainty. Our results and clear prospects for even narrower spectra pave the way towards in-trap precision spectroscopy on diverse molecule species.