TY - JOUR
T1 - Optical pumping of TeH+
T2 - Implications for the search for varying mp/me
AU - Stollenwerk, Patrick R.
AU - Kokish, Mark G.
AU - de Oliveira-Filho, Antonio G.S.
AU - Ornellas, Fernando R.
AU - Odom, Brian C.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by ONR Grant No. N00014-17-1-2258, ARO Grant No. W911NF-14-0378 and NSF GRFP DGE-1324585. We thank Vincent Carrat for helpful discussions about laser sources.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 by the authors.
PY - 2018/9/1
Y1 - 2018/9/1
N2 - Molecular overtone transitions provide optical frequency transitions sensitive to variation in the proton-to-electron mass ratio (m = mp/me). 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 m attainable using TeH+. We find that laser cooling of TeH+ can lead to significant improvements on current m variation limits.
AB - Molecular overtone transitions provide optical frequency transitions sensitive to variation in the proton-to-electron mass ratio (m = mp/me). 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 m attainable using TeH+. We find that laser cooling of TeH+ can lead to significant improvements on current m variation limits.
KW - Laser cooling
KW - Molecular ion
KW - Proton-electron mass ratio
KW - Time variation of constants
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U2 - 10.3390/atoms6030053
DO - 10.3390/atoms6030053
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85053812037
VL - 6
JO - Atoms
JF - Atoms
SN - 2218-2004
IS - 3
M1 - 53
ER -