930 research outputs found
Triplet-singlet conversion in ultracold Cs and production of ground state molecules
We propose a process to convert ultracold metastable Cs molecules in
their lowest triplet state into (singlet) ground state molecules in their
lowest vibrational levels. Molecules are first pumped into an excited triplet
state, and the triplet-singlet conversion is facilitated by a two-step
spontaneous decay through the coupled
states. Using spectroscopic data and accurate quantum chemistry calculations
for Cs potential curves and transition dipole moments, we show that this
process has a high rate and competes favorably with the single-photon decay
back to the lowest triplet state. In addition, we demonstrate that this
conversion process represents a loss channel for vibrational cooling of
metastable triplet molecules, preventing an efficient optical pumping cycle
down to low vibrational levels
Parallel ion strings in linear multipole traps
Additional radio-frequency (rf) potentials applied to linear multipole traps
create extra field nodes in the radial plane which allow one to confine single
ions, or strings of ions, in totally rf field-free regions. The number of nodes
depends on the order of the applied multipole potentials and their relative
distance can be easily tuned by the amplitude variation of the applied
voltages. Simulations using molecular dynamics show that strings of ions can be
laser cooled down to the Doppler limit in all directions of space. Once cooled,
organized systems can be moved with very limited heating, even if the cooling
process is turned off
Chemistry and kinematics of the pre-stellar core L1544: Constraints from H2D+
This paper explores the sensitivity of line profiles of H2D+, HCO+ and N2H+,
observed towards the center of L1544, to various kinematic and chemical
parameters. The total width of the H2D+ line can be matched by a static model
and by models invoking ambipolar diffusion and gravitational collapse. The
derived turbulent line width is b=0.15 km/s for the static case and <~ 0.05
km/s for the collapse case. However, line profiles of HC18O+ and N2H+ rule out
the static solution. The double-peaked H2D+ line shape requires either infall
speeds in the center that are much higher than predicted by ambipolar diffusion
models, or a shell-type distribution of H2D+, as is the case for HCO+ and N2H+.
At an offset of ~20 arcsec from the dust peak, the H2D+ abundance drops by a
factor of ~5.Comment: four pages, two colour figures; to appear in The Dense Interstellar
Medium in Galaxies, proceedings of the fourth Cologne-Bonn-Zermatt Symposium,
Sept 22-26, 200
Photodetachment of cold OH- in a multipole ion trap
The absolute photodetachment cross section of OH- anions at a rotational and
translational temperature of 170K is determined by measuring the
detachment-induced decay rate of the anions in a multipole radio-frequency ion
trap. In comparison with previous results, the obtained cross section shows the
importance of the initial rotational state distribution. Using a tomography
scan of the photodetachment laser through the trapped ion cloud, the derived
cross section is model-independent and thus features a small systematic
uncertainty. The tomography also yields the column density of the OH- anions in
the 22-pole ion trap in good agreement with the expected trapping potential of
a large field free region bound by steep potential walls.Comment: Phys. Rev. Lett., in pres
Radiofrequency multipole traps: Tools for spectroscopy and dynamics of cold molecular ions
Multipole radiofrequency ion traps are a highly versatile tool to study
molecular ions and their interactions in a well-controllable environment. In
particular the cryogenic 22-pole ion trap configuration is used to study
ion-molecule reactions and complex molecular spectroscopy at temperatures
between few Kelvin and room temperatures. This article presents a tutorial on
radiofrequency ion trapping in multipole electrode configurations. Stable
trapping conditions and buffer gas cooling, as well as important heating
mechanisms, are discussed. In addition, selected experimental studies on cation
and anion-molecule reactions and on spectroscopy of trapped ions are reviewed.
Starting from these studies an outlook on the future of multipole ion trap
research is given
About the dynamics and thermodynamics of trapped ions
This tutorial introduces the dynamics of charged particles in a
radiofrequency trap in a very general manner to point out the differences
between the dynamics in a quadrupole and in a multipole trap. When dense
samples are trapped, the dynamics is modified by the Coulomb repulsion between
ions. To take into account this repulsion, we propose to use a method,
originally developed for particles in Penning trap, that model the ion cloud as
a cold fluid. This method can not reproduce the organisation of cold clouds as
crystals but it allows one to scale the size of large samples with the trapping
parameters and the number of ions trapped, for different linear geometries of
trap.Comment: accepted for publication in the "Modern Applications of Trapped Ions"
special issu
How can a 22-pole ion trap exhibit 10 local minima in the effective potential?
The column density distribution of trapped OH ions in a 22-pole ion trap
is measured for different trap parameters. The density is obtained from
position-dependent photodetachment rate measurements. Overall, agreement is
found with the effective potential of an ideal 22-pole. However, in addition we
observe 10 distinct minima in the trapping potential, which indicate a breaking
of the 22-fold symmetry. Numerical simulations show that a displacement of a
subset of the radiofrequency electrodes can serve as an explanation for this
symmetry breaking
Observation of enhanced rate coefficients in the H + H H + H reaction at low collision energies
The energy dependence of the rate coefficient of the H reaction has been measured in the range of
collision energies between K and
mK. A clear deviation of the rate coefficient from the value expected on the
basis of the classical Langevin-capture behavior has been observed at collision
energies below K, which is attributed to the joint
effects of the ion-quadrupole and Coriolis interactions in collisions involving
ortho-H molecules in the rotational level, which make up 75% of the
population of the neutral H molecules in the experiments. The experimental
results are compared to very recent predictions by Dashevskaya, Litvin, Nikitin
and Troe (J. Chem. Phys., in press), with which they are in agreement.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure
Electronic structure of the Magnesium hydride molecular ion
In this paper, using a standard quantum chemistry approach based on
pseudopotentials for atomic core representation, Gaussian basis sets, and
effective core polarization potentials, we investigate the electronic
properties of the MgH ion. We first determine potential energy curves for
several states using different basis sets and discuss their predicted accuracy
by comparing our values of the well depths and position with other available
results. We then calculate permanent and transition dipole moments for several
transitions. Finally for the first time, we calculate the static dipole
polarizability of MgH as function of the interatomic distance. This study
represents the first step towards the modeling of collisions between trapped
cold Mg ions and H molecules.Comment: submitted to J. Phys. B, special issue on Cold trapped ion
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