Dynamics of OH(2Π)–He collisions in combined electric and magnetic fields

Abstract

We use accurate quantum mechanical calculations to analyze the effects of parallel electric and magnetic fields on collision dynamics of OH(²Π) molecules. It is demonstrated that spin relaxation in ³He–OH collisions at temperatures below 0.01 K can be effectively suppressed by moderate electric fields of order 10 kV cm⁻¹. We show that electric fields can be used to manipulate Feshbach resonances in collisions of cold molecules. Our theoretical results can be tested in experiments with OH molecules in Stark decelerated molecular beams and electromagnetic traps. PACS numbers: 33.20.-t, 33.80.Ps.