Marin Pichler

Photoassociation spectroscopy of ultracold Cs below the 6P1/2 limit.

We have performed high precision photoassociation spectroscopy of ultracold cesium gas. Using trap-loss fluorescence detection and controlling the background cesium pressure we were able to photoassociate atoms into excited states of ultracold molecules with large detunings up to 56 cm(-1) below the Cs(6S(1/2)) + Cs(6P(1/2)) atomic asymptote. Vibrational progressions are assigned to 0(g)(-), 0(u)(+), and 1(g) long-range states. By fitting the spectral data to the LeRoy-Bernstein expression, the effective coefficients of the leading long-range interactions and the vibrational quantum number at dissociation are obtained. In addition we have observed spectral perturbations between states of the same symmetry belonging to different asymptotes (6P(1/2) and 6P(3/2)). The perturbations are manifested through irregular vibrational level spacings and are especially pronounced in the 0(u)(+) symmetry. Many observed rotational levels indicate d- and higher partial wave contributions to the photoassociation cross section in the presence of trapping laser light, while spectral regions with only weak features suggest nodes in the lower state wave functions corresponding to the two ground state atoms asymptote.

Photoassociation of ultracold K atoms: Observation of high lying levels of the 1g∼1 1Πg molecular state of K2

Very high-lying vibrational levels of the 1g∼1 1Πg electronic state of K2 have been observed in a photoassociation experiment using an ion detection scheme. The photoassociation measurements have been treated together with laser induced fluorescence data recorded by Fourier transform spectrometry to construct a pointwise potential curve for this electronic state. Several vibrational levels were observed by both techniques, so the dissocation energy can be deduced without extrapolation, from the sum of binding energies measured in photoassociation and vibrational energies established with respect to the potential minimum (defined by the fluorescence data), giving De=1290.292±0.002 cm−1 (1 standard deviation). The potential curve reproduces over 2000 term values (up to v=138) with a root mean square error of 0.0025 cm−1. Nevertheless, small differences are found between the rotational constants generated from the potential curve and the effective rotational constants deduced from binding energy measurements...

Perturbation effects in photoassociation spectra of ultracold Cs2

We present perturbations in photoassociation spectra of ultracold caesium. High-precision photoassociation spectra up to 54 cm−1 below the Cs (6S1/2)+Cs(6P1/2) asymptote revealed perturbations related to resonant coupling between electronic states of the same symmetry but belonging to different asymptotes. The perturbations, which are manifested as irregularities in vibrational level spacings, are most pronounced for the 0u+ state, but to some extent present in the 1g and 0g− states, which are also affected by predissociation. We have performed theoretical calculations of perturbations for all three states and found qualitative agreement with the experimental results.

Blue Satellite Bands and Photoassociation Spectra of Ultracold Cesium

Atomic line self‐broadening was observed in ultracold cesium. Using resonant ionization detection we were able to photoassociate atoms into excited states of ultracold molecules below the second excited PJ atomic asymptotes Cs(6S1/2) + Cs(7P1/2) and Cs(6S1/2) + Cs(7P3/2). We were able to observe blue detuned satellite band features at 560 MHz and 800 MHz above the 7P1/2 and 7P3/2 atomic limits, respectively, as well as sharp hyperfine split features on the blue and red side of the atomic resonances. Such spectral features can be qualitatively supported by the local maxima in the long range molecular structure beyond 50 A.