- Letter
Tuning ultracold collisions of molecules in nonadjacent rotational states with an electric field
Phys. Rev. A 114, L031302 – Published 3 September, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/xc11-f4cv
Abstract
We propose to tune the ultracold collisions between alkali-metal dipolar diatomic molecules in nonadjacent rotational states with an electric field. The long-range intermolecular potential energy surface can be tuned with an electric field and a long-range potential well sufficient to support weakly bound tetratomic states can be induced. The origin of the potential well is interpreted based on perturbative analysis. Near the electric field at which the tetratomic state crosses the scattering threshold, the elastic cross section between molecules becomes highly tunable. We show that such tunability is applicable to diverse dipolar molecules.