%0 Journal Article
%T Vibrational quenching of the electronic ground state in ThO in cold collisions with $^3$He
%A Yat Shan Au
%A Colin B. Connolly
%A Wolfgang Ketterle
%A John M. Doyle
%J Physics
%D 2013
%I arXiv
%R 10.1103/PhysRevA.90.032703
%X We measure the ratio $\gamma$ of the momentum-transfer to the vibrational quenching cross section for the X ($^1\Sigma^+$), $\nu=1$, $\mathrm{J=0}$ state of molecular thorium monoxide (ThO) in collisions with atomic $^3$He between 800 mK and 2.4 K. We observe indirect evidence for ThO--He van der Waals' complex formation, which has been predicted by theory. We determine the 3-body recombination rate constant $\Gamma_3$ at 2.4 K, and establish that the binding energy E$_b >$ 4 K.
%U http://arxiv.org/abs/1310.7279v1