Future Work in the AMO Lab

It has generally been our experience in AMO physics that it's very difficult to predict one's future interests.  This is because each experiment tends to prompt numerous new questions which previously were never thought of!  And so, new experiments take off in a never-ending quest to satisfy curiosity.  But in the end, these new experiments may be radically different from those planned even a few years prior.

Nonetheless, we have several future research areas planned.  Each one potentially consists of numerous experiments:

• High-resolution spectroscopy at lowest-energy thresholds:  Studying the  ²P_1/2   → ³P₂ threshold of both S^- and O^-.

• Electron affinity of S₂^- :  Measurements to quantify this molecule's electron affinity.

• Evaporative cooling of stored negative ions, and the cooling's effect on the ion's photodetachment spectroscopy.  We expect to observe enhanced spectroscopic resolution.

• Electron correlation effects in detachment in a magnetic field:   we plan to probe these effects with half-cycle pulses (HCP's), also known as THz radiation.  The HCP will interact with the outgoing electron throughout the cyclotron orbit, hopefully allowing us to probe the electron's momentum and its interaction with the atomic core.

• Molecular photodetachment spectroscopy of OH^- and SH^- to measure rotational constants and long-range dipole forces.

• Spectroscopy of the Cl^- and Br^- ions:  By doubling the Ti:sapphire ring laser, we can measure the electron affinity and other spectroscopic benchmarks of these ions.  This work is especially appealing because Cl^- is particularly easy to make in the ion trap!

• Development of an RF or "Paul" trap for ions.  The existing Penning trap can also be configured as an RF trap, allowing for magnetic field-free studies.

• Storage and spectroscopy of positive ions: By reversing the polarity on the Penning trap endcaps, we can also store positive ions.

• Application of the optical tweezers to cell biology and materials science.  We look forward to collaborations with other scientists interested in this apparatus!