Optical Pumping of TeH+: Implications for the Search for Varying mp/me
Molecular overtone transitions provide optical frequency transitions sensitive to variation in the proton-to-electron mass ratio ($μ\equiv m_p/m_e$). However, robust molecular state preparation presents a challenge critical for achieving high precision. Here, we characterize infrared and optical-frequency broadband laser cooling schemes for TeH$^+$, a species with multiple electronic transitions amenable to sustained laser control. Using rate equations to simulate laser cooling population dynamics, we estimate the fractional sensitivity to $μ$ attainable using TeH$^+$. We find that laser cooling of TeH$^+$ can lead to significant improvements on current $μ$ variation limits.
physics.atom-ph↗