Loss of molecules in magneto-electrostatic traps due to nonadiabatic transitions

Abstract

We analyze the dynamics of a paramagnetic, dipolar molecule in a generic "magneto-electrostatic'' trap where both magnetic and electric fields may be present. The potential energy that governs the dynamics of the molecules is found using a reduced molecular model that incorporates the main features of the system. We discuss the shape of the trapping potentials for different field geometries, as well as the possibility of nonadiabatic transitions to untrapped states, i.e., the analog of Majorana transitions in a quadrupole magnetic atomic trap. Maximizing the lifetime of molecules in a trap is of great concern in current experiments, and we assess the effect of nonadiabatic transitions on obtainable trap lifetimes.

arXiv comment13 pages, 6 figures

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• Fine Structure of Open Shell Diatomic Molecules in Combined Electric and Magnetic Fields
• Electronic structure of ultralong-range Rydberg pentaatomic molecules with two polar diatomic molecules
• Towards density and phase space compression of molecular gases in magneto-electrostatic traps
• Analytical study of level crossings in the Stark-Zeeman spectrum of ground state OH
• Spin squeezing an ultracold molecule
• Ferroelectric nano-traps for polar molecules