Triplet-singlet conversion in ultracold Cs{sub 2} and production of ground-state molecules
- Laboratoire Aime Cotton, CNRS, Universite Paris-Sud, Bat. 505, F-91405 Orsay (France)
- Physics Department, Goucher College, Baltimore, Maryland 21204 (United States)
We propose a process to convert ultracold metastable Cs{sub 2} molecules in their lowest triplet state into (singlet) ground-state molecules in their lowest vibrational levels. Molecules are first pumped into an excited triplet state, and the triplet-singlet conversion is facilitated by a two-step spontaneous decay through the coupled A {sup 1{Sigma}}{sub u}{sup +}-b {sup 3{Pi}}{sub u} states. Using spectroscopic data and accurate quantum chemistry calculations for Cs{sub 2} potential curves and transition dipole moments, we show that this process competes favorably with the single-photon decay back to the lowest triplet state. In addition, we demonstrate that this conversion process represents a loss channel for vibrational cooling of metastable triplet molecules, preventing an efficient optical pumping cycle down to low vibrational levels.
- OSTI ID:
- 21537150
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. A, Vol. 83, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.83.022503; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1050-2947
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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