A new type of atomic bond has been

discovered
And it forms a whole new class of molecules.
DAVID NIELD
4 NOV 2016
w w w .scienceale

For the first time, physicists have observed a strange molecule called the
butterfly Rydberg molecule - a weak pairing of highly excitable atoms that was
first predicted back in 2002.
The find not only confirms a 14-year-old prediction - it also confirms the
existence of a whole new type of atomic bond.
Rydberg molecules form when an electron is kicked far from an atom's
nucleus, making them super electronically excited.
On their own, they're common enough. But back in 2002, a team of
researchers from Purdue University in Indiana predicted that a Rydberg
molecule could attract and bind to another atom - something that was thought
impossible according to our understanding of how atoms bind at the time.
They called that hypothetical molecule combination the butterfly Rydberg
molecule, because of the butterfly-like distribution of the orbiting electrons.
And now, 14 years later, the same team has finally observed a butterfly
Rydberg molecule in the lab, and in the process, has discovered a whole new
type of weak atomic bond.
"This new binding mechanism, in which an electron can grab and trap an
atom, is really new from the point of view of chemistry," explained lead
researcher Chris Greene. "It's a whole new way an atom can be bound by
another atom."

Rydberg molecules are unique because they can have electrons that are
between 100-1,000 times further away from the nucleus than normal.
The team was able to create them for this experiment by cooling Rubidium gas
to a temperature of 100 nano-Kelvin - one ten-millionth of a degree above
absolute zero - then exciting the atoms into a Rydberg state using lasers.
The team kept these Rydberg molecules under observation to see if they
could indeed attract another atom. They were looking for any changes in the
frequency of light the molecules could absorb, which would be a sign that an
energy binding had occurred.
Eventually, they discovered that the distant electrons could indeed help attract
and bind with other atoms, just as they had predicted in 2002.
"This [distant] electron is like a sheepdog," said Greene. "Every time it
whizzes past another atom, this Rydberg atom adds a little attraction and
nudges it toward one spot until it captures and binds the two atoms together."
"It's a really clear demonstration that this class of molecules exist," he added.
These special butterfly Rydberg molecules are substantially larger than
normal molecules due to their distantly orbiting electrons, and now that we
know they exist, they could be used in the development of molecular-scale
electronics and machines because they require less energy to move.
"The main excitement about this work in the atomic and molecular physics
community has related to the fact that these huge molecules should exist and
be observable, and that their electron density should exhibit amazingly rich,
quantum mechanical peaks and valleys," Greene told The Telegraph's Roger
Highfield in 2012.
We're looking forward to seeing what happens with them now.
The team's findings have been published in Nature Communications.

"I am more convinced than ever that we are not alone."