A driven three-dimensional electric lattice for polar molecules

Three-dimensional (3D) driven optical lattices have attained great attention for their wide applications in the quest to engineer new and exotic quantum phases. Here we propose a 3D driven electric lattice (3D-DEL) for cold polar molecules as a natural extension. Our 3D electric lattice is composed of a series of thin metal plates in which two-dimensional square hole arrays are distributed. When suitable modulated voltages are applied to these metal plates, a 3D potential well array for polar molecules can be generated and can move smoothly back and forth in the lattice. Thus, it can drive cold polar molecules confined in the 3D electric lattice. Theoretical analyses and trajectory calculations using two types of molecules, ND₃ and PbF, are performed to justify the possibility of our scheme. The 3D-DEL offers a platform for investigating cold molecules in periodic driven potentials, such as quantum computing science, quantum information processing, and some other possible applications amenable to the driven optical lattices. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]