Abstract
A semiempirical potential energy curve for the a3Σ+-state of the KRb molecule with only five parameters is reported. The potential is continuous over the entire range of internuclear distances and has the correct long-range attractive dispersion potential from established theory. The potential provides an equally good fit of the laser induced fluorescence Fourier transform spectroscopic data of Pashov et al. [Phys. Rev. A 76, 022511 (2007)] as their multi-parameter potential. The new potential is supported by the good agreement of the well parameters De, Re and the harmonic vibrational constant ωe with combining-rule estimates. The scattering lengths for all six isotopologues are also in excellent agreement with experiment with a 0.2% adjustment within theoretical uncertainty of the leading dispersion coefficient C6. An analysis of the harmonic vibrational constant ωe and the constant ωexe of the potential of Pashov et al. reveals a significant difference to the present potential which turned out to be due to an oscillatory deviation in their potential in the vicinity of the potential minimum. The new potential is, thus, the best available because its simplicity is ideal for further applications.
Highlights
The laser cooling of the alkali atoms to temperatures of 10−3 K– 10−9 K in the laboratory has made it possible to produce tens of thousands of atoms with de Broglie wavelengths greater than the mean distance between the atoms. These experiments have opened up a wide field of physics and chemistry of highly correlated quantum many-body systems
The new potential is obtained by fitting the extensive laser induced fluorescence (LIF) Fourier transform spectroscopic data of Pashov et al.19 with a five parameter Tang–Toennies type of potential model
An analysis of the second derivatives of both potentials in the region of the minimum reveals an irregularity in the Pashov et al potential, which explains the difference. This illustrates the advantage of the new model which is continuous in the first and second derivatives over the full range of internuclear distances
Summary
The laser cooling of the alkali atoms to temperatures of 10−3 K– 10−9 K in the laboratory has made it possible to produce tens of thousands of atoms with de Broglie wavelengths greater than the mean distance between the atoms These experiments have opened up a wide field of physics and chemistry of highly correlated quantum many-body systems. The molecules are stabilized by a STIRAP pulse or photoassociated into a high lying singlet excited electronic state from which they can be transferred to the ground state by a dump pulse.18 These processes depend sensitively on the potential curves of both the ground state X1Σ+ and the weakly bound a3Σ+-state. The new potential is supported by the very good agreement with combining-rule estimates and with experimental scattering lengths for all six isotopologues
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