Magneto-electrostatic trapping of ground state OH molecules

Abstract

We report the magnetic confinement of neutral, ground state hydroxyl radicals (OH) at a density of $\sim3\times10^{3}$ cm$^{-3}$ and temperature of $\sim$30 mK. An adjustable electric field of sufficient magnitude to polarize the OH is superimposed on the trap in either a quadrupole or homogenous field geometry. The OH is confined by an overall potential established via molecular state mixing induced by the combined electric and magnetic fields acting on the molecule's electric dipole and magnetic dipole moments, respectively. An effective molecular Hamiltonian including Stark and Zeeman terms has been constructed to describe single molecule dynamics inside the trap. Monte Carlo simulation using this Hamiltonian accurately models the observed trap dynamics in various trap configurations. Confinement of cold polar molecules in a magnetic trap, leaving large, adjustable electric fields for control, is an important step towards the study of low energy dipole-dipole collisions.