Product-state distribution after isotopic substitution in ultracold atom-molecule collisions

Abstract

We show that products of the isotopic substitution reactions in experimentally accessible molecules such as NaK, RbCs, and SrF are cold according to their translational energy below hundreds of mK. For these chemical reactions, molecular products may occupy only the lowest rotational states. We also discuss the possibility of controlling the chemical reactions by the electric field in ultracold mixtures of molecules and atoms with low kinetic energy release, where one of the constituent atoms of colliding molecule is replaced by its isotope. This letter opens new avenues in investigating the branching ratios of chemical reactions in ultracold conditions.

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