Prospects for measurement and control of the scattering length of metastable helium using photoassociation techniques

Abstract

A numerical investigation of two-laser photoassociation (PA) spectroscopy on spin-polarized metastable helium (He*) atoms is presented within the context of experimental observation of the least-bound energy level in the scattering potential and subsequent determination of the s-wave scattering length. Starting out from the model developed by Bohn and Julienne [Phys. Rev. A \textbf{60}, (1999) 414], PA rate coefficients are obtained as a function of the parameters of the two lasers. The rate coefficients are used to simulate one- and two-laser PA spectra. The results demonstrate the feasibility of a spectroscopic determination of the binding energy of the least-bound level. The simulated spectra may be used as a guideline when designing such an experiment, whereas the model may also be employed for fitting experimentally obtained PA spectra. In addition, the prospects for substantial modification of the He* scattering length by means of optical Feshbach resonances are considered. Several experimental issues relating to the numerical investigation presented here are discussed.

arXiv comment9 pages, 7 figures

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• Analysis of light-induced frequency shifts in the photoassociation of ultracold metastable helium atoms
• Lifetime of weakly-bound dimers of ultracold metastable helium studied by photoassociation
• Spin-dipole induced lifetime of the least-bound quintet sigma state of He(2S)+He(2S)
• Autoionization of spin-polarized metastable helium in tight anisotropic harmonic traps
• Quantum storage and cloning of light states in EIT-like medium
• Subluminal light pulse propagation in a Λ-type atom-molecule coupled system