https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2004-00167-2
Laser-cooling molecules
Concept, candidates, and supporting hyperfine-resolved measurements of rotational lines in the A–X(0,0) band of CaH
Los Alamos National Laboratory,
Mail Stop J567,
Los Alamos NM 87545, USA
Corresponding author: a mdd@lanl.gov
Received:
16
August
2004
Published online:
23
November
2004
Certain molecules, it seems, may be laser cooled by methods technically
similar to those applied with abundant success in atomic physics. We discuss
the spectroscopic criteria molecules should meet to make methods of Doppler
cooling technically feasible and identify diatomic candidates. Some
candidates, such as the alkaline-earth monohydrides (e.g. BeH and CaH), are
paramagnetic and amenable to magneto-optical trapping. Our experimental
study concentrates on CaH, and we present our recent high-resolution,
molecular-beam-based measurements of low-J rotational lines within the
(0,0) band of CaH. From these measurements we report hyperfine
separations in the A-state, as important to laser-cooling spectroscopy, and
centroidal transition frequencies for comparison with existing values. We
conclude with an outline of a possible magneto-optical trap for CaH.
PACS: 33.80.Ps – Optical cooling of molecules; trapping / 33.70.Fd – Absolute and relative line and band intensities / 33.15.Pw – Fine and hyperfine structure
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2004
