SrRb

SrRb is a diatomic molecule consisting of strontium (Sr) and rubidium (Rb). It is studied within the field of ultracold quantum gases as a heteronuclear species that, in principle, exhibits a permanent electric dipole moment. The interest in SrRb stems from the combination of an alkaline-earth element and an alkali metal, which offers a platform for exploring dipolar interactions in quantum many-body systems.

In laboratory settings, Sr and Rb atoms are cooled to ultralow temperatures and loaded into shared optical traps or lattices. SrRb molecules can be formed by magnetoassociation across interspecies Feshbach resonances or by photoassociation of Sr–Rb atom pairs, often followed by coherent optical transfer to the rovibrational ground state using techniques such as stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP). Spectroscopic measurements and theoretical calculations aim to map the potential energy curves and transition dipole moments, providing insight into binding energies, long-range interactions, and collisional dynamics.

Research on SrRb contributes to several areas of physics. The molecule serves as a testbed for quantum simulation of dipolar many-body systems, enabling exploration of anisotropic interactions and novel quantum phases. It also informs ultracold chemistry studies, including reaction dynamics at near-zero temperatures, and offers prospects for quantum information processing with molecular states. Ongoing work focuses on improving production efficiency, precise spectroscopic data, and control of SrRb in optical lattices and other engineered environments.