Controlling electronic spin relaxation of cold molecules with electric fields

We present a theoretical study of atom - molecule collisions in superimposed electric and magnetic fields and show that dynamics of electronic spin relaxation in molecules at temperatures below 0.5 K can be manipulated by varying the strength and the relative orientation of the applied fields. The mechanism of electric field control of Zeeman transitions is based on an intricate interplay between intramolecular spin-rotation couplings and molecule-field interactions. We suggest that electric fields may affect chemical reactions through inducing nonadiabatic spin transitions and facilitate evaporative cooling of molecules in a magnetic trap.