Dynamical interferences to probe short-pulse photoassociation of Rb atoms and stabilization of Rb_2 dimers

Abstract

We analyze the formation of Rb_2 molecules with short photoassociation pulses applied to a cold Rb-85 sample. A pump laser pulse couples a continuum level of the ground electronic state X ^1Σ_{g}^+ with bound levels in the 0_{u}^+ (5S+5P_{1/2}) and 0_{u}^+ (5S+5P_{3/2}) vibrational series. The nonadiabatic coupling between the two excited channels induces time-dependent beatings in the populations. We propose to take advantage of these oscillations to design further laser pulses that probe the photoassociation process via photoionization or that optimize the stabilization in deep levels of the ground state.

arXiv comment4 pages, 5 figures. v2: major changes in introduction, discussion clarified. v3: minor corrections. v4: matches published version

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Cited by in corpus (7)

• Stimulating the production of deeply bound RbCs molecules with laser pulses: the role of spin-orbit coupling in forming ultracold molecules
• Enhancement of Ultracold Molecule Formation Using Shaped Nanosecond Frequency Chirps
• Coherent control of ultracold 85Rb trap-loss collisions with nonlinearly frequency-chirped light
• Efficient Formation of Ultracold Molecules with Chirped Nanosecond Pulses
• Demonstrating coherent control in 85Rb2 using ultrafast laser pulses: a theoretical outline of two experiments
• Non-adiabatic molecular association in thermal gases driven by radio-frequency pulses
• Effect of sample height and particle elongation in the sedimentation of colloidal rods