Rayment, MH;
Hogan, SD;
(2021)
Quantum-state-dependent decay rates of electrostatically trapped Rydberg NO molecules.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics
, 23
(34)
pp. 18806-18822.
10.1039/d1cp01930a.
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Abstract
Nitric oxide (NO) molecules travelling in pulsed supersonic beams have been prepared in long-lived Rydberg–Stark states by resonance-enhanced two-colour two-photon excitation from the X 2Π1/2 (v′′ = 0, J′′ = 3/2) ground state, through the A 2Σ+ (v′ = 0, N′ = 0, J′ = 1/2) intermediate state. These excited molecules were decelerated from 795 ms−1 to rest in the laboratory-fixed frame of reference, in the travelling electric traps of a transmission-line Rydberg–Stark decelerator. The decelerator was operated at 30 K to minimise effects of blackbody radiation on the molecules during deceleration and trapping. The molecules were electrostatically trapped for times of up to 1 ms, and detected in situ by pulsed electric field ionisation. Measurements of the rate of decay from the trap were performed for states with principal quantum numbers between n = 32 and 50, in Rydberg series converging to the N+= 0, 1, and 2 rotational states of NO+. For the range of Rydberg states studied, the measured decay times of between 200 μs and 400 μs were generally observed to reduce as the value of n was increased. For some particular values of n deviations from this trend were seen. These observations are interpreted, with the aid of numerical calculations, to arise as a result of contributions to the decay rates, on the order of 1 kHz, from rotational and vibrational channel interactions. These results shed new light on the role of weak intramolecular interactions on the slow decay of long-lived Rydberg states in NO.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Quantum-state-dependent decay rates of electrostatically trapped Rydberg NO molecules |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1039/d1cp01930a |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1039/D1CP01930A |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Physics and Astronomy |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10133737 |
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