Zeeman-Tuned Rotational Level-Crossing Spectroscopy in a Diatomic Free Radical

S. B. Cahn, J. Ammon, E. Kirilov, Y. V. Gurevich, D. Murphree, R. Paolino, D. A. Rahmlow, M. G. Kozlov, and D. DeMille

Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 163002 – Published 25 April 2014

Abstract

Rotational levels of molecular free radicals can be tuned to degeneracy by using laboratory-scale magnetic fields. Because of their intrinsically narrow width, these level crossings of opposite-parity states have been proposed for use in the study of parity-violating interactions and other applications. We experimentally study a typical manifestation of this system using ${}^{138}{BaF}$ . Using a Stark-mixing method for detection, we demonstrate level-crossing signals with spectral width as small as 6 kHz. We use our data to verify the predicted line shapes, transition dipole moments, and Stark shifts and to precisely determine molecular magnetic $g$ factors. Our results constitute an initial proof of concept for use of this system to study nuclear spin-dependent parity-violating effects.

Received 24 October 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.163002

Authors & Affiliations

S. B. Cahn^1,*, J. Ammon¹, E. Kirilov^1,†, Y. V. Gurevich¹, D. Murphree^1,‡, R. Paolino², D. A. Rahmlow^1,§, M. G. Kozlov³, and D. DeMille^1,¶

¹Department of Physics, Yale University, P.O. Box 208120, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
²Department of Science, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 31 Mohegan Avenue, New London, Connecticut 06320, USA
³Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Gatchina 188300, Russia

^*sidney.cahn@yale.edu
^†Present address: Universität Innsbruck, Institut für Experimentalphysik, Technikerstrasse 25/4, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
^‡Present address: 3002 Avalon Cove Court NW, Rochester, MN 55901, USA.
^§Present address: Wyatt Technology Corporation, 6300 Hollister Avenue, Santa Barbara, CA 93117, USA.
^¶david.demille@yale.edu

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Vol. 112, Iss. 16 — 25 April 2014

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