Nondestructive Detection of Polar Molecules via Rydberg Atoms

Research on cold and ultracold molecules is impeded by the difficulty in many cases to efficiently detect molecules, with the choice of molecule species often influenced by the need for a suitable detection scheme. We demonstrate the possibility to efficiently and nondestructively detect basically any polar molecule species using Rydberg atoms [1]. A Rydberg atom senses the presence of a molecule based on F\"orster resonance energy transfer. We show that huge interaction cross sections of more than $10^{-6}\,$cm$^2$ exist for low collision energies, allowing for efficient detection [1]. First experimental results on detection of room temperature ammonia molecules with Rubidium Rydberg atoms will be presented. [1] M. Zeppenfeld, arXiv:1611.08893 [physics.atom-ph] (2016).