Magnetic trapping of buffer-gas-cooled chromium atoms and prospects for the extension to paramagnetic molecules

We report the successful buffer-gas cooling and magnetic trapping of chromium atoms with densities exceeding 1012 atoms per cm3 at a temperature of 350 mK for the trapped sample. The possibilities of extending the method to buffer-gas cool and magnetically trap molecules are discussed. To minimize the most important loss mechanism in magnetic trapping, molecules with a small spin–spin interaction and a large rotational constant are preferred. Both the CrH (6 Σ+ ground state) and MnH (7 Σ+) radicals appear to be suitable systems for future experiments