Ultralong-range Rydberg molecules in combined electric and magnetic fields

We investigate the impact of combined electric and magnetic fields on the structure of ultralong-range polar Rydberg molecules. Our focus is hereby on the parallel as well as the crossed field configuration, taking into account both the s-wave and p-wave interactions of the Rydberg electron and the neutral ground state atom. We show the strong impact of the p-wave interaction on the ultralong-range molecular states for a pure B-field configuration. In the presence of external fields, the angular degrees of freedom acquire vibrational character, and we encounter two- and three-dimensional oscillatory adiabatic potential energy surfaces for the parallel and crossed field configuration, respectively. The equilibrium configurations of local potential wells can be controlled via the external field parameters for both field configurations depending on the specific degree of electronic excitation. This allows us to tune the molecular alignment and orientation. The resulting electric dipole moment is in the order of several kDebye, and the rovibrational level spacings are in the range of 2–250 MHz. Both properties are analyzed with varying field strengths. (paper)