Effects of Magnetic Fields on Photoexcitation of ⁸⁶Sr ultralong-range Rydberg Molecular Dimers

In this poster we present an experimental study of the effects of magnetic fields of up to 5 Gauss on photoexcitation of ultralong-range Rydberg molecular dimers in an ultracold atomic gas of ⁸⁶Sr for low principal quantum numbers (n~30) and excitation to triplet Rydberg states 5sns ³S₁. Transitions to individual molecular rotational states are resolved. The excitation rates for different angular momentum states vary dramatically as a function of the applied field, suggesting a Rydberg atom or molecular spin interaction with the magnetic field that has not been observed before. Such variation is not observed in ⁸⁴Sr. Rydberg molecules are photoexcited through 2-photon excitation using 689nm and 320nm lasers that are stabilized by locking them to a high-finesse optical cavity.