Basel team controls forbidden vibrations in single nitrogen molecules
Researchers at the University of Basel have identified and controlled forbidden vibrational transitions in isolated nitrogen molecules without destroying them.
New method avoids sample destruction
A team led by Professor Stefan Willitsch published these results in the journal Nature Communications. Previous experiments from 2014 observed such vibrations but destroyed the molecular ions during every measurement cycle. The new approach uses quantum-logic spectroscopy to trap a single charged nitrogen molecule with a calcium atom. This calcium ion acts as a messenger that glows when researchers apply specific laser light frequencies.
Laser pulses excite faint transitions
The nitrogen molecule does not emit detectable light directly, yet the attached calcium atom responds to tuned lasers. Researchers varied another laser frequency until a pulse excited the forbidden vibration and returned the molecule to its initial state. Because this process is reversible, scientists measured the same molecule repeatedly instead of losing it in each cycle. Combining data from several hundred individually prepared molecules allowed the team to identify different components of the transition.
Precision improves tenfold for clocks
These spectral lines indicate the specific frequencies where the molecule takes in light, thereby defining its energy level. The researchers determined the fundamental vibrational frequency of the molecule ten times more precisely than previous measurements allowed. Several studied transitions are predicted to be useful for extremely accurate clocks, quantum bits, and precise physics tests.
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