Creation and interrogation of a correlated molecular plasma

Since the first realization of a correlated molecular plasma formed in a super-sonic beam expansion [1], much work has been devoted to characterizing fundamental parameters of the plasma: the ambipolar expansion rate is driven by electron kinetic energy and has been observed [2] to be lower than ultracold atomic plasmas produced in magneto-optical traps. Molecular dissipation mechanisms present a unique channel for directing energy away form electron kinetic energy. The importance of the entire Rydberg level manifold must be considered to accurately describe these systems [3], increasing the importance of molecular processes both at early, and later instances of the plasma lifetime. \\[4pt] [1] Morrison, J.P. \textit{et al}. Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{101} 205005, 2008.\\[0pt] [2] Morrison, J.P. \textit{et al}. Phys. Rev. A. \textbf{79} 062706, 2009.\\[0pt] [3] Morrison, J.P. \textit{et al}. J. Phys. B. \textbf{45} 025701, 2012.