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Magneto-Optical Trapping of a Metal Hydride Molecule

Jinyu Dai1,*, Benjamin Riley1, Qi Sun1, Debayan Mitra1,2, and Tanya Zelevinsky1

  • *Contact author: jd3706@columbia.edu

Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 233403 – Published 10 June, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/xy6y-kyhc

Abstract

We demonstrate a three-dimensional magneto-optical trap (MOT) of a metal hydride molecule, CaH. We are able to scatter ∼104 photons with vibrational loss covered up to vibrational quantum number ν=2. This allows us to laser slow the molecular beam near zero velocity with a “white-light” technique and subsequently load it into a radio-frequency MOT. The MOT contains 230(40) molecules, limited by beam source characteristics and predissociative loss of CaH. The temperature of the MOT is below one millikelvin. The predissociative loss mechanism could, in turn, facilitate controlled dissociation of the molecule, offering a possible route to optical trapping of hydrogen atoms for precision spectroscopy.

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synopsis

Trapping a Precursor to Ultracold Hydrogen

Published 10 June, 2026

Researchers have used laser cooling and trapping to isolate calcium monohydride, a key step toward producing ultracold atomic hydrogen.

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