Long-Range Rydberg States of Sr₂⁺

Long-range diatomic Rydberg molecules with charged atomic cores have potential application in quantum computing, and there has recently been considerable interest in these types of systems. In this work, high-lying long-range Rydberg states of spin-polarized Sr₂⁺ are presented. The electronic spectra were computed using an analytical approach involving a local frame transformation developed in a previous work, in which a scattering K-matrix for collisions of the Rydberg electron with the charged cores is determined from states of H₂⁺ and experimental quantum defects for Sr. A formalism for determining dipole matrix elements between high-lying states of Sr₂⁺ and the 5s5p state of Sr is presented. This formalism assumes the Sr atoms are each trapped in an optical tweezer, with a normal mode analysis used to compute the rovibrational overlap integral. Some bound states of Sr₂⁺ in this regime that could be experimentally observed are identified.