Darmstadt 2008 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 10: Kalte Moleküle I [gemeinsam mit MO]

Q 10.3: Talk

Tuesday, March 11, 2008, 09:15–09:30, 3G

The electrostatic analogue of a Ioffe-Pritchard trap — •Moritz Kirste, Melanie Schnell, and Gerard Meijer — Fritz-Haber-Institut der MPG, Abt. Molekülphysik, Faradayweg 4-6, D-14195 Berlin

By exploiting the Stark effect one can trap polar molecules. In an electric field the molecules separate, due to the Stark effect, in low-field seeking and high-field seeking states, where molecules in low-field seeking states can be confined in the minimum of an electrostatic quadrupole trap. Trapped molecules are useful in the study of dipole-dipole interaction, the alignment of molecules in external fields and for high-resolution spectroscopy. These techniques are limited by the density of trapped molecules, the trap depth, trap frequency and trapping-time. Trap losses arise from inelastic collisions and from Majorana transitions. In electrostatic traps, the Majorana losses can be compensated by the use of an electric analogue to a magnetic Ioffe-Pritchard trap, which generates a trapping field that is non-zero at the center. In this talk we will introduce the first Ioffe-Pritchard like electrostatic trap. We will present our experimental results, characterizing the trap and will sketch its possible applications.