Photoassociation and coherent transient dynamics in the interaction of ultracold rubidium atoms with shaped femtosecond pulses. I. Experiment

Journal Article · Tue Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2009 · Physical Review. A

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVA.80.063416· OSTI ID:21352383

Mullins, Terry; Salzmann, Wenzel; Goetz, Simone; Albert, Magnus; Eng, Judith; Wester, Roland; Weidemueller, Matthias; Weise, Fabian; Merli, Andrea; Weber, Stefan M; Sauer, Franziska; Woeste, Ludger; Lindinger, Albrecht ^[1]

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1. Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Freiburg, Hermann Herder Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg (Germany)

We experimentally investigate various processes present in the photoassociative interaction of an ultracold atomic sample with shaped femtosecond laser pulses as an detailed extension of previous work [W. Salzmann et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 233003 (2008)]. We demonstrate the photoassociation of pairs of rubidium atoms into electronically excited, bound molecular states using spectrally cut femtosecond laser pulses tuned below the rubidium D{sub 1} or D{sub 2} asymptote. Time-resolved pump-probe spectra reveal oscillations of the molecular formation rate, which are due to coherent transient dynamics in the electronic excitation. The oscillation frequency corresponds to the detuning of the spectral cut position to the asymptotic transition frequency of the rubidium D{sub 1} or D{sub 2} lines, respectively. Measurements of the molecular photoassociation signal as a function of the pulse energy reveal a nonlinear dependence and indicate a nonperturbative excitation process. Chirping the association laser pulse allowed us to change the phase of the coherent transients. Furthermore, a signature for molecules in the electronic ground state is found, which is attributed to molecule formation by femtosecond photoassociation followed by spontaneous decay. In a subsequent article [A. Merli et al., Phys. Rev. A 80, 063417 (2009)] quantum mechanical calculations are presented, which compare well with the experimental data and reveal further details about the observed coherent transient dynamics.

• OSTI ID: 21352383
• Journal Information: Physical Review. A, Vol. 80, Issue 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.80.063416; (c) 2009 The American Physical Society; ISSN 1050-2947
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ASYMPTOTIC SOLUTIONS
ATOMS
BOUND STATE
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
EXCITATION
EXCITED STATES
GROUND STATES
INTERACTIONS
LASERS
MOLECULES
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
OSCILLATIONS
PHOTOCHEMISTRY
PHOTOIONIZATION
PHOTON-MOLECULE COLLISIONS
PULSES
PUMPS
QUANTUM MECHANICS
RUBIDIUM
TIME RESOLUTION
TRANSIENTS
ALKALI METALS
CHEMISTRY
COLLISIONS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EQUIPMENT
EVALUATION
IONIZATION
MATHEMATICAL SOLUTIONS
MECHANICS
METALS
MOLECULE COLLISIONS
PHOTON COLLISIONS
RESOLUTION
TIMING PROPERTIES