Coherent optical transfer of Feshbach molecules to a lower vibrational state

Abstract

Using the technique of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) we have coherently transferred ultracold 87Rb2 Feshbach molecules into a more deeply bound vibrational quantum level. Our measurements indicate a high transfer efficiency of up to 87%. As the molecules are held in an optical lattice with not more than a single molecule per lattice site, inelastic collisions between the molecules are suppressed and we observe long molecular lifetimes of about 1 s. Using STIRAP we have created quantum superpositions of the two molecular states and tested their coherence interferometrically. These results represent an important step towards Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of molecules in the vibrational ground state.

4 pages, 5 figures

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• Quo vadis, cold molecules? - Editorial review
• Atom-molecule dark states in a Bose-Einstein condensate
• Characterization of elastic scattering near a Feshbach resonance in rubidium 87

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