Vibrational Branching Ratios for Laser-Cooling of Nonlinear Strontium-Containing Molecules

2024/06/12 by Alexander Frenett, Zack Lasner, Frenett, Alexander +5 · 1 citation
Chemistry · Physics and Astronomy · #Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph) #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #FOS: Physical sciences #Laser-Matter Interactions and Applications #Spectroscopy and Laser Applications

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2406.08235

openalex publication_date 2024/06/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

The vibrational branching ratios from the lowest excited electronic state for \textrmSrOCH₃, \textrmSrNH₂, and \textrmSrSH are measured at the < 0.1% level. Spectra are obtained by driving the X - A transitions and dispersing the fluorescence on a grating spectrometer. We also perform ab initio calculations for the energies of vibrational levels relevant for laser cooling, as well as branching ratios to support the interpretations of all molecular spectra. Symmetry group analysis is applied in conjunction with our data to study rotational closure in these molecules. These analyses indicate favorable prospects for laser cooling \textrmSrNH₂ and other similar alkaline-earth(-like) amides for future beyond the Standard Model physics searches using polyatomic molecules with long-lived parity doublets.

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