Giant formation rates of ultracold molecules via Feshbach Optimized Photoassociation

Abstract

Ultracold molecules offer a broad variety of applications, ranging from metrology to quantum computing. However, forming "real" ultracold molecules, {\it i.e.} in deeply bound levels, is a very difficult proposition. Here, we show how photoassociation in the vicinity of a Feshbach resonance enhance molecular formation rates by several orders of magnitude. We illustrate this effect in heteronuclear systems, and find giant rate coefficients even in deeply bound levels. We also give a simple analytical expression for the photoassociation rates, and discuss future applications of the Feshbach Optimized Photoassociation, or FOPA, technique.

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Cited by in corpus (3)

• Photoassociation of a Bose-Einstein Condensate near a Feshbach Resonance
• Feshbach resonances in an ultracold ${}^7$Li and ${}^{87}$Rb mixture
• Perspectives for coherent optical formation of strontium molecules in their electronic ground state