Optimized production of ultracold ground-state molecules: Stabilization employing potentials with ion-pair character and strong spin-orbit coupling

Abstract

We discuss the production of ultracold molecules in their electronic ground state by photoassociation employing electronically excited states with ion-pair character and strong spin-orbit interaction. A short photoassociation laser pulse drives a non-resonant three-photon transition for alkali atoms colliding in their lowest triplet state. The excited state wave packet is transferred to the ground electronic state by a second laser pulse, driving a resonant two-photon transition. After analyzing the transition matrix elements governing the stabilization step, we discuss the efficiency of population transfer using transform-limited and linearly chirped laser pulses. Finally, we employ optimal control theory to find the most efficient stabilization pathways. We find that the stabilization efficiency can be increased by one and two orders of magnitude for linearly chirped and optimally shaped laser pulses, respectively.

14 pages, 10 figures

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• Femtosecond two-photon photoassociation of hot magnesium atoms: A quantum dynamical study using thermal random phase wavefunctions
• Enhancement of Ultracold Molecule Formation Using Shaped Nanosecond Frequency Chirps
• Ground and excited state properties of the polar and paramagnetic RbSr molecule: a comparative study
• Diatomic molecules of alkali-metal and alkaline-earth-metal atoms: interaction potentials, dipole moments, and polarizabilities
• Prospects for ultracold polar and magnetic chromium-closed-shell-atom molecules
• Efficient Formation of Ultracold Molecules with Chirped Nanosecond Pulses
• Mixing of 0${}^{+}$ and 0${}^{-}$ observed in hyperfine and Zeeman structure of ultracold Rb${}_2$ molecules
• Transition moments between excited electronic states from the Hermitian formulation of the coupled cluster quadratic response function
• Interactions and charge transfer dynamics of an Al${}^{+}$ ion immersed in ultracold Rb and Sr atoms
• Control of open quantum systems: Manipulation of a qubit coupled to a thermal bath by an external driving field