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Chou CW, Collopy AL, Kurz C, Lin Y, Harding ME, Plessow PN, Fortier T, Diddams S, Leibfried D, Leibrandt DR. Frequency-comb spectroscopy on pure quantum states of a single molecular ion. Science 2020; 367:1458-1461. [PMID: 32217722 PMCID: PMC10652508 DOI: 10.1126/science.aba3628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Spectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying molecules and is commonly performed on large thermal molecular ensembles that are perturbed by motional shifts and interactions with the environment and one another, resulting in convoluted spectra and limited resolution. Here, we use quantum-logic techniques to prepare a trapped molecular ion in a single quantum state, drive terahertz rotational transitions with an optical frequency comb, and read out the final state nondestructively, leaving the molecule ready for further manipulation. We can resolve rotational transitions to 11 significant digits and derive the rotational constant of 40CaH+ to be B R = 142 501 777.9(1.7) kilohertz. Our approach is suited for a wide range of molecular ions, including polyatomics and species relevant for tests of fundamental physics, chemistry, and astrophysics.
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Affiliation(s)
- C W Chou
- Time and Frequency Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA.
| | - A L Collopy
- Time and Frequency Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
| | - C Kurz
- Time and Frequency Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
| | - Y Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance and Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Time and Frequency Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Synergetic Innovation Center of Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - M E Harding
- Institute of Nanotechnology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - P N Plessow
- Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - T Fortier
- Time and Frequency Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - S Diddams
- Time and Frequency Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - D Leibfried
- Time and Frequency Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - D R Leibrandt
- Time and Frequency Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
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