Optical Pumping of TeH+: Implications for the Search for Varying mp/me
Abstract
Molecular overtone transitions provide optical frequency transitions sensitive to variation in the proton-to-electron mass ratio ( μ ≡ m p / m e ). However, robust molecular state preparation presents a challenge critical for achieving high precision. Here, we characterize infrared and optical-frequency broadband laser cooling schemes for TeH + , a species with multiple electronic transitions amenable to sustained laser control. Using rate equations to simulate laser cooling population dynamics, we estimate the fractional sensitivity to μ attainable using TeH + . We find that laser cooling of TeH + can lead to significant improvements on current μ variation limits.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Sep 17, 2018
- Source ID
- 10.3390/atoms6030053
Entities
People
- Antonio De Oliveira-filho
- Brian Odom
- Fernando Ornellas
- Mark Kokish
- Patrick Stollenwerk
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- National Science Foundation
- Office of Naval Research