2025/04/03 by Alexander Guttridge, Tom R. Hepworth, Daniel K. Ruttley +3 · 1 voice · 1 citation
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum Mechanics and Applications
paper · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.134.133401
openalex publication_date 2025/04/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
We present a new approach to investigating Rydberg molecules by demonstrating the formation and characterization of individual Rb*Cs Rydberg molecules using optical tweezers. By employing single-atom detection of Rb and Cs, we observe molecule formation via correlated loss of both species and study the formation dynamics with single-particle resolution. We control the interatomic distances by manipulating the relative wave function of atom pairs using the tweezer intensity, optimizing the coupling to molecular states and exploring the effect of the tweezer on these states. Additionally, we demonstrate molecule association with atoms trapped in separate tweezers, paving the way for state-selective assembly of polyatomic molecules. The observed binding energies, molecular alignment, and bond lengths are in good agreement with theory. Our approach is broadly applicable to Rydberg tweezer platforms, expanding the range of available molecular systems and enabling the integration of Rydberg molecules into existing quantum science platforms.