Chemical pathways in ultracold reactions of SrF molecules
ultralow temperatures by characterizing the resonant states of the complex. Observing these transition-state resonances and interpreting their influence in chemical reactions is a long-standing goal of physical chemistry and one in which the high-energy resolution of ultracold molecules may be of great help. Set against this backdrop, it would also be useful to explore other molecules reacting at ultralow temperatures to gain additional insight into what can be learned. To this end, the SrF molecule is an appealing candidate and the one with which we deal with in this article. SrF is a prime example of a class of molecules that have been identified as amenable to direct laser cooling from a beam [20], and in fact laser cooling has been recently demonstrated [21]. It is quite polar (dipolemoment ≈1.4D),sothatelectricfieldmanipulationisa possibility. Moreover, it has an open-shell 2 � ground state that gives it a magnetic moment as well. This circumstance opens opportunities such as trapping the molecules magnetically, while manipulating their interactions electrically [22]. In this article, we explore the possibility and mechanisms for chemical reactions of SrF molecules at ultralow temperatures. We make several observations. First, the exchange reaction