Assembly of a Rovibrational Ground State Molecule in an Optical Tweezer

We demonstrate the coherent creation of a single NaCs molecule in its rotational, vibrational, and electronic (rovibronic) ground state in an optical tweezer. Starting with a weakly bound Feshbach molecule, we locate a two-photon transition via the vertical bar c(3)Sigma(1), v' = 26 > excited state and drive coherent Rabi oscillations between the Feshbach state and a single hyperfine level of the NaCs rovibronic ground state vertical bar X-1 Sigma; v '' = 0; N '' = 0 > with a binding energy of D-0 = h x 147044.63(11) GHz. We measure a lifetime of 3.4 +/- 1.6 s for the rovibronic ground state molecule, which possesses a large molecule-frame dipole moment of 4.6D and occupies predominantly the motional ground state. These long-lived, fully quantum-state-controlled individual dipolar molecules provide a key resource for molecule-based quantum simulation and information processing.

Automated summary

Researchers have successfully demonstrated the coherent creation of a single NaCs molecule in its rotational, vibrational, and electronic ground state, which provides a key resource for molecule-based quantum simulation and information processing.