Trap Loss Spectroscopy Research Articles

Ultra-high resolution trap-loss spectroscopy of ultracold 133Cs atom long-range states in a magnetooptical trap

We present an ultra-high resolution spectroscopic study of the photoassociation of cesium atoms inside a magnetooptical trap using trap-loss detection with photoassociation laser slow scanning. The photoassociation spectra show vibrational levels of three molecular symmetries below the 6S 1/2 + 6P 3/2 dissociation limit. A dynamic model is derived to extract the photoassociation rate from the trap-loss spectrum. Many observed rotational levels are well resolved, which indicate d-wave and higher partial wave contributions to the photoassociation cross section.

Measurement and modeling of hyperfine- and rotation-induced state mixing in large weakly bound sodium dimers

We present high-precision trap loss spectroscopy of excited molecules obtained by the photoassociation of ultracold sodium atoms. Near the dissociation limit, hyperfine and rotational (Coriolis-type) interactions cause significant mixing of states of different nominal Hund's case (c) symmetry resulting in a complex pattern of spectral lines. We construct a theoretical model of the large, slowly rotating molecule starting from a long-range, atomic viewpoint. Interaction potentials are derived from the known long-range resonant dipole and van der Waals forces between atoms, supplemented at short range by the results of electronic-structure calculations. Spin-dependent interactions coupling the various angular momenta---nuclear spin, electron spin, electron orbit, and the mechanical rotation of the molecule as a whole---are derived from known atomic parameters. We avoid imposing approximate symmetries or coupling schemes and consequently include all nonadiabatic mixing of different degrees of freedom. Quantitative agreement between experiment and theory for both line positions and intensities is found. Specifically, we observe and calculate mixing of levels of , , and symmetry bound by below the asymptote.