München 2004 – scientific programme

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Q: Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 38: Poster Fallen und Kühlung

Q 38.5: Poster

Thursday, March 25, 2004, 14:00–16:00, Schellingstr. 3

Order and chaos in the electrodynamic trapping of slow polar molecules. — •P.W.H. Pinkse, E. Schmidt, T. Junglen, T. Rieger, S.A. Rangwala, and G. Rempe — Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany

In the last few years, magnetic and electrostatic trapping of selected slow molecules has been demonstrated. For molecules with permanent dipole moments, new techniques are required to allow simultaneous trapping of atoms and molecules in various internal states. This would, for instance, allow cold collision studies and applications of slow molecules in precision spectroscopy. Recently, we demonstrated two-dimensional trapping of dipolar molecules in an electrodynamic four-wire trap [1], as reported in a contribution by Junglen et al. This technique has the capability to trap low- and high-electric field seeking states simultaneously. Hence, in principal, atoms could also be trapped. In this contribution we analyse the motion of molecules in our two-dimensional electrodynamic trap. The motion of molecules in the central, harmonic part of trap is well understood. However, numerical simulations have shown that the anharmonicities away from the centre play an important role. Indeed, the calculated molecular trajectories show strong evidence of chaotic behaviour. We illustrate the cross-over from the regular to the chaotic regime, using a set of diagnostic tools for chaos such as Poincaré maps, power spectrum analysis, trajectory separation, and Lyapunov exponents.

[1] T. Junglen, T. Rieger, S.A. Rangwala, P.W.H. Pinkse, and G. Rempe, arXiv:physics/0310046