Nonadiabatic decay in Rydberg molecules

Rydberg molecules have become an active research area within Rydberg-atom physics. Among a variety of unusual properties of Rydberg molecules, their decay mechanisms present a rich ground for both theoretical and experimental explorations. In this talk, the effect of nonadiabatic processes on Rydberg-molecule lifetimes will be discussed. An analysis for incorporating these effects using the Born-Huang representation will be reviewed. The method is employed to determine the non-adiabatic lifetimes of Rydberg-ion-molecules, which were recently predicted and observed. The obtained results, perspectives for other types of Rydberg molecules, as well as implications for future experiments will be discussed.