Weakly Bound Rydberg-Dipole Molecules

We predict a class of long-range Rydberg molecules consisting of a Rydberg atom and a tightly bound polar molecule. Long-range Born-Oppenheimer potentials that describe the interaction in these molecules are presented. These potentials and fall into two classes which produce different polarization directions of the dipolar molecule with respect to the positively charged Rydberg core. The large overall dipole moment of the Rydberg atom-dipole system may allow for control of molecular polarization using relatively small electric fields. Different experimental scenarios and atom-molecule mixtures are discussed.