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Title: Photoassociative spectroscopy of ultracold metastable argon

Journal Article · · Physical Review. A
; ; ;  [1]
  1. Department of Physics, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia 23529 (United States)

We present results of photoassociative spectroscopy performed on ultracold metastable argon atoms in a magneto-optical trap. Ion spectra are obtained with laser detuning up to a few gigahertz below the 4s[3/2]{sub 2}{yields}4p[5/2]{sub 3} trapping transition at 811 nm and with intensities in a range of {approx}(10{sup 2}-10{sup 5})I{sub Sat}. We also compute dipole-dipole potentials for both singly and doubly excited diatomic molecules and use a Leroy-Bernstein analysis to determine the approximate vibrational spacings in the (s+p) and (p+p) manifolds. Based on this theoretical framework, we explain a broad background feature in our data and suggest that double-excitation mechanisms are likely responsible for sharp dips in the ion signal.

OSTI ID:
21546765
Journal Information:
Physical Review. A, Vol. 83, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.83.052516; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1050-2947
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English