Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Quantum chemistry

The little molecule that could

Nature volume 458, pages 975–976 (2009)Cite this article

A Correction to this article was published on 29 April 2009

The creation of diatomic molecules bound by roaming electrons that allow a huge internuclear distance is some achievement. It opens the door to further experimental exploitation of the principles involved.

Decades ago, chemists and physicists identified the various types of molecular bonding that are possible, including the standard ionic and covalent schema presented today in every introductory chemistry text. In the meantime, most practitioners of quantum chemistry have meandered on to larger species with the goal of predicting and elucidating the properties of huge molecules containing dozens, hundreds or even thousands of atoms. Yet the simplest molecules of all, the diatomics, which have a mere two atoms, still present puzzles and surprises. A case in point is the beautiful experiment by Bendkowsky et al.1, described on page 1005 of this issue. The authors used the delicate techniques of ultracold atomic physics to create and detect molecules made up of two rubidium atoms that are bound together by a ghostly quantum-mechanical force field at distances as large as 100 nanometres — greater than the size of a small virus.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: A different class of Rydberg molecule.

References

  1. Bendkowsky, V. et al. Nature 458, 1005–1008 (2009).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Guberman, S. L. & Goddard, W. A. III Phys. Rev. A 12, 1203–1221 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Valiron, P., Roche, A. L., Masnou-Seeuws, F. & Dolan, M. E. J. Phys. B 17, 2803–2822 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. de Prunelé, E . Phys. Rev. A 35, 496–505 (1987).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Greene, C. H., Dickinson, A. S. & Sadeghpour, H. R. Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 2458–2461 (2000).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Khuskivadze, A. A., Chibisov, M. I. & Fabrikant, I. I. Phys. Rev. A 66, 042709 (2002).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hamilton, E. L., Greene, C. H. & Sadeghpour, H. R. J. Phys. B 35, L199–L206 (2002).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Liu, I. C. H. & Rost, J. M. Eur. Phys. J. D 40, 65–71 (2006).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Fermi, E. Nuovo Cimento 11, 157–166 (1934).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Pople, J. A. Rev. Mod. Phys. 71, 1267–1274 (1999).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chris H. Greene is in the Department of Physics and JILA, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0440, USA. chris.greene@colorado.edu,

    Chris H. Greene

Authors
  1. Chris H. Greene
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Greene, C. The little molecule that could. Nature 458, 975–976 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/458975a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/458975a

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing