• Featured in Physics
  • Editors' Suggestion

Theoretical Prediction of the Creation and Observation of a Ghost Trilobite Chemical Bond

Matthew T. Eiles, Zhengjia Tong, and Chris H. Greene
Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 113203 – Published 12 September 2018
Physics logo See Synopsis: How to Create a Ghost Chemical Bond
PDFHTMLExport Citation

Abstract

The “trilobite”-type of molecule, predicted in 2000 and observed experimentally in 2015, arises when a Rydberg electron exerts a weak attractive force on a neutral ground state atom. Such molecules have bond lengths exceeding 100 nm. The ultralong-range chemical bond between the two atoms is a nonperturbative linear combination of the many degenerate electronic states associated with high principal quantum numbers, and the resulting electron probability distribution closely resembles a fossil trilobite from antiquity. We show how to coherently engineer this same long-range orbital through a sequence of electric and magnetic field pulses even when the ground-state atom is not present and propose several methods to observe the resulting orbital. The existence of such a ghost chemical bond in which an electron reaches out from one atom to a nonexistent second atom is a consequence of the high level degeneracy.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 16 May 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.113203

© 2018 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Atomic, Molecular & Optical

Synopsis

Key Image

How to Create a Ghost Chemical Bond

Published 12 September 2018

A series of electric and magnetic pulses applied to an atom could cause one of its electrons to behave as if “bonded” to an empty point in space.

See more in Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Matthew T. Eiles1, Zhengjia Tong1, and Chris H. Greene1,2

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
  • 2Purdue Quantum Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

Supplemental Material (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 121, Iss. 11 — 14 September 2018

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
CHORUS

Article Available via CHORUS

Download Accepted Manuscript
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review Letters

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×