Individual assembly of two-species Rydberg molecules using optical tweezers

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the controlled formation and characterization of individual Rb-Cs Rydberg molecules using optical tweezers, enabling precise study and assembly of molecular states at the single-particle level.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method for assembling and analyzing Rydberg molecules with optical tweezers, including molecule formation from separate atoms and control over molecular properties.

Findings

Successful formation of individual Rb-Cs Rydberg molecules

Observation of molecular binding energies and structures

Controlled assembly of molecules from separate atoms

Abstract

We present a new approach to investigating Rydberg molecules by demonstrating the formation and characterization of individual Rb$^{*}$Cs Rydberg molecules using optical tweezers. By employing single-atom detection of Rb and Cs, we observe molecule formation via correlated loss of both species and study the formation dynamics with single-particle resolution. We control the interatomic distances by manipulating the relative wavefunction of atom pairs using the tweezer intensity, optimizing the coupling to molecular states and exploring the effect of the tweezer on these states. Additionally, we demonstrate molecule association with atoms trapped in separate tweezers, paving the way for state-selective assembly of polyatomic molecules. The observed binding energies, molecular alignment, and bond lengths are in good agreement with theory. Our approach is broadly applicable to Rydberg tweezer platforms, expanding the range of available molecular systems and enabling the integration of Rydberg molecules into existing quantum science platforms.