Quantum mechanics

Ground state

Atomic physics

Debye

Molecule

Physics

Hyperfine structure

Dipole

Rotational–vibrational spectroscopy

Excited state

Physical Review Letters

We demonstrate the coherent creation of a single NaCs molecule in its rotational, vibrational, and electronic (rovibronic) ground state in an optical tweezer. Starting with a weakly bound Feshbach molecule, we locate a two-photon transition via the $|{c^3\Sigma,v'=26}\rangle$ excited state and drive coherent Rabi oscillations between the Feshbach state and a single hyperfine level of the NaCs rovibronic ground state $|{X^1\Sigma,v''=0,N''=0}\rangle$ with a binding energy of $D_0 = h \times 147038.30(2)$ GHz. We measure a lifetime of $3.4\pm1.6$ s for the rovibronic ground-state molecule, which possesses a large molecule-frame dipole moment of 4.6 Debye and occupies predominantly the motional ground state. These long-lived, fully quantum-state-controlled individual dipolar molecules provide a key resource for molecule-based quantum simulation and information processing.

Assembly of a Rovibrational Ground State Molecule in an Optical Tweezer