A conveyor-belt magneto-optical trap of CaF.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41501042.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-67944-6 and PMC identifier 12859044.
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Abstract
Achieving high-density samples of laser-cooled molecules is a critical step toward advancing applications in precision measurements, ultracold chemistry and quantum science. We report the experimental realization of a high-density conveyor-belt magneto-optical trap for calcium monofluoride (CaF) molecules. The obtained highly-compressed cloud has a mean radius of 64(5) μm and a peak number density of 3.6(5) × 10<sup>10</sup> cm<sup>-3</sup>, a 600-fold increase over the conventional red-detuned MOTs of CaF, and the densest molecular MOT observed to date. Subsequent loading of these molecules into an optical dipole trap yields up to 2.6 × 10<sup>4</sup> trapped molecules at a temperature of 14(2) μK with a peak phase-space density of ~ 2.4 × 10<sup>-6</sup>. This opens new possibilities for a range of applications utilizing high-density, optically trapped ultracold molecules.