Accurate Determination of the Scattering Length of Metastable Helium Atoms Using Dark Resonances between Atoms and Exotic Molecules

Journal Article · Fri Jan 20 00:00:00 EST 2006 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.023203· OSTI ID:20776955

Moal, S; Portier, M; Kim, J; Dugue, J; Rapol, U D; Leduc, M; Cohen-Tannoudji, C ^[1]

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1. Ecole Normale Superieure and College de France, Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, 24 rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05 (France)

We present a new measurement of the s-wave scattering length a of spin-polarized helium atoms in the 2 {sup 3}S{sub 1} metastable state. Using two-photon photoassociation spectroscopy and dark resonances, we measure the energy E{sub v=14}=-91.35{+-}0.06 MHz of the least-bound state v=14 in the interaction potential of the two atoms. We deduce a value of a=7.512{+-}0.005 nm, which is at least 100 times more precise than the best previous determinations and is in disagreement with some of them. This experiment also demonstrates the possibility to create exotic molecules binding two metastable atoms with a lifetime of the order of 1 {mu}s.

• OSTI ID: 20776955
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 96, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.023203; (c) 2006 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ATOMS
BOUND STATE
HELIUM
LIFETIME
METASTABLE STATES
MHZ RANGE 01-100
MOLECULES
PHOTOCHEMISTRY
PHOTONS
RESONANCE
S WAVES
SCATTERING LENGTHS
SPECTROSCOPY
SPIN ORIENTATION