arXiv subjects

Lucie D. Augustovičová

Publications and source records attributed to Lucie D. Augustovičová.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Quantum-State-Controlled Collisions of Ultracold Polyatomic Molecules

Collisions between ultracold calcium monohydroxide (CaOH) molecules are realized and studied. Inelastic collision rate constants are measured for CaOH prepared in ground and excited vibrational states, and the electric field dependence of these rates is measured for molecules in single quantum states of the parity-doubled bending mode. Theoretical calculations of collision rate coefficients are performed and found to agree with measured values. The lowest collisional loss rates are for states with repulsive long-range potentials that shield ultracold molecules from loss channels at short distance. These results unveil the collisional behavior of parity doublet molecules in the ultracold regime, and lay the foundation for future experiments to evaporatively cool polyatomic molecules to quantum degeneracy.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2021

Magnetic Moments of Lanthanide van der Waals Dimers

Loosely bound van der Waals dimers of lanthanide atoms, as might be obtained in ultracold atom experiments, are investigated. These molecules are known to exhibit a degree of quantum chaos, due to the strong anisotropic mixing of their angular spin and rotation degrees of freedom. Within a model of these molecules, we identify different realms of this anisotropic mixing, depending on whether the spin, the rotation, or both, are significantly mixed by the anisotropy. These realms are in turn generally correlated with the resulting magnetic moments of the states.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2020

Ultracold collisions of the lithium monoxide radical

Ultracold collisions of LiO molecules in the $^{2}Π_{3/2}$ ground state are considered, under the influence of either an external magnetic or electric field. Inelastic collisions are shown to be suppressed in the presence of modest laboratory strength magnetic and electric fields. The rate of elastic collisions that rethermalize the thermal distribution, and the corresponding low rate of heating state-changing collisions, suggest that quantum degeneracy or even molecular Bose-Einstein condensation of LiO gas may be attainable, provided that the initial temperatures in the milliKelvin range are achievable.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2019

Ultracold Collisions of Polyatomic Molecules: CaOH

Ultracold collisions of the polyatomic species CaOH are considered, in internal states where the collisions should be dominated by long-range dipole-dipole interactions. The computed rate constants suggest that evaporative cooling can be quite efficient for these species, provided they start at temperatures achievable by laser cooling. The rate constants are shown to become more favorable for evaporative cooling as the electric field increases. Moreover, long-range dimer states (CaOH)$^*_2$ are predicated to occur, having lifetimes on the order of microseconds.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2017

Can Nitric Oxide be Evaporatively Cooled in its Ground State?

Cold collisions of $^{14}$N$^{16}$O molecules in the $^{2}Π_{1/2}$ ground state, subject to electric and magnetic fields, are investigated. It is found that elastic collision rates significantly exceed state-changing inelastic rates only at temperatures above 0.5 K at laboratory strength fields. It is found, however, that in very large fields $> 10^{4}$ V/cm, inelastic rates can be somewhat suppressed. Magnetic fields have negligible influence on scattering for this nearly non-magnetic state.

physics.atom-ph↗