Photoswitching molecules functionalized with optical cycling centers provide a novel platform for studying chemical transformations in ultracold molecules

P. Wojcik, T. Khvorsot, G. Lao, C.G. Zhu, A. Macias, J.R. Caram, W.C. Campbell, M.A. Garcıa-Garibay, E.R. Hudson, A. Alexandrova, and A.I. Krylov
J. Phys. Chem. A , in press (2024)

A novel molecular structure that merges the fields of molecular optical cycling with molecular photoswitching is presented. It is based on a photoswitching molecule azobenzene functionalized with one and two CaO- groups, which can act as optical cycling centers (OCCs). This paper characterizes the electronic structure of the resulting model systems, focusing on three questions: (1) how the electronic states of the photoswitch are impacted by a functionalization with an OCC; (2) how the states of the OCC are impacted by the scaffold of the photoswitch; (3) whether the OCC can serve as spectroscopic probe of isomerization. The experimental feasibility of the proposed design and the advantages that organic synthesis can offer in further functionalization of the molecular scaffold are also discussed. This work brings into the field of molecular optical cycling a new dimension of chemical complexity, intrinsic only to polyatomic molecules.

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