Magnetic deflection of high-spin sodium dimers formed on helium nanodroplets

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the magnetic deflection of sodium dimers on helium nanodroplets, revealing their high magnetic moments and spin orientation, advancing understanding of alkali dimers in superfluid environments.

Contribution

It provides the first direct measurement of magnetic deflection of sodium dimers on helium nanodroplets, showing their high-spin states and spin thermalization.

Findings

High magnetic moments of sodium dimers confirmed

Electron spins fully oriented by magnetic field

Dimer states predominantly in metastable triplet state

Abstract

Spectroscopic data on alkali-atom dimers residing on the surface of liquid helium nanodroplets have revealed that they are detected primarily in the weakly bound, metastable, spin-triplet state. Here, by measuring the magnetic Stern-Gerlach deflection of a sodium-doped nanodroplet beam, we transparently demonstrate the abundance of high-magnetic-moment dimers. Their electron spins thermalize with the cryogenic superfluid droplets and become fully oriented by the external magnetic field.