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To accurately map weak D2–Ne long-range interactions, we have studied rotationally inelastic cold scattering of D2 prepared in the vibrationally excited (v = 4) and rotationally aligned (j = 2, m) quantum state within the moving frame of a supersonically expanded mixed molecular beam. In contrast to earlier high energy D2–Ne collision experiments, the (j = 2 → j′ = 0) cold scattering produced highly symmetric angular distributions that strongly suggest a resonant quasi-bound collision complex that lives long enough to make a few rotations. Our partial wave analysis indicates that the scattering dynamics is dominated by a single resonant l = 2 orbital, even in the presence of a broad temperature (0–5 K) distribution that allows incoming orbitals up to l = 5. The dominance of a single orbital suggests that the resonant complex stabilizes through the coupling of the internal (j = 2) and orbital (l = 2) angular momentum to produce a total angular momentum of J = 0 for the D2–Ne complex. 

Interference observed in a double-slit experiment most conclusively demonstrates the wave properties of particles. We construct a quantum mechanical double-slit interferometer by rovibrationally exciting molecular deuterium (D 2 ) in a biaxial ( v = 2, j = 2) state using Stark-induced adiabatic Raman passage, where v and j represent the vibrational and rotational quantum numbers, respectively. In D 2 ( v = 2, j = 2) → D 2 ( v = 2, j ′ = 0) rotational relaxation via a cold collision with ground state helium, the two coherently coupled bond axis orientations in the biaxial state act as two slits that generate two indistinguishable quantum mechanical pathways connecting initial and final states of the colliding system. The interference disappears when we decouple the two orientations of the bond axis by separately constructing the uniaxial states of D 2 , unequivocally establishing the double-slit action of the biaxial state. This double slit opens new possibilities in the coherent control of molecular collisions.