Freiburg 2024 – scientific programme
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MO: Fachverband Molekülphysik
MO 20: Theoretical Molecular Physics
MO 20.2: Talk
Thursday, March 14, 2024, 14:45–15:00, HS 3042
Exotic charged molecules and Rydberg glue — •Daniel J. Bosworth1,2, Peter Schmelcher1,2, and Matthew T. Eiles3 — 1Zentrum für Optische Quantentechnologien, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany — 2The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany — 3Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, 01187 Dresden, Germany
Neutral-ion interactions are of fundamental interest in physics and chemistry. Recent experiments are starting to explore them within the quantum regime. The sensitivity of Rydberg atoms to electric fields enables them to form weakly-bound diatomic molecular ions. These dimers bind on micrometer length scales due to the Rydberg's large induced dipole moment, which is the leading-order term in the ion-neutral interaction series. In this theoretical work, we explore the role of the higher-order terms in this interaction series. We first consider a system of a pair of cations interacting with a Rydberg atom at long-range. Surprisingly, we reveal that the Rydberg's quadrupole compensates the enormous Coulomb repulsion between the cation pair, forming a metastable trimer with mixing between states in neighbouring n-manifolds. We discuss the rapid decay of these trimers due to charge transfer of the Rydberg electron. Additionally, we reveal that the quadrupole interaction term introduces a dependence on the sign of the ion's charge, which can significantly alter non-adiabatic couplings between Rydberg states. Such modified couplings would not only affect vibrational dynamics, but also molecular lifetimes.
Keywords: Ultralong-range; Ion-Rydberg; Rydberg; Coulomb; Atom-ion