Photoassociative Production and Trapping of Ultracold KRb Molecules
D. Wang, J. Qi, M. F. Stone, O. Nikolayeva, H. Wang, B. Hattaway, S. D. Gensemer, P. L. Gould, E. E. Eyler, W. C. Stwalley
Abstract
We have produced ultracold heteronuclear KRb molecules by the process of photoassociation in a two-species magneto-optical trap. Following decay of the photoassociated KRb*, the molecules are detected using two-photon ionization and time-of-flight mass spectroscopy of KRb
+
. A portion of the metastable triplet molecules thus formed are magnetically trapped. Photoassociative spectra down to 91 cm
−1
below the K(4
s
) + Rb (5
p
1/2
) asymptote have been obtained. We have made assignments to all eight of the attractive Hund's case (c) KRb* potential curves in this spectral region.