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arXiv · 1211.5846

Direct Photoassociative Formation of Ultracold KRb Molecules in the Lowest Vibrational Levels of the Ground State

Jayita Banerjee·David Rahmlow·Ryan Carollo·Michael Bellos·Edward E. Eyler·Phillip L. Gould·William C. Stwalley
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Abstract

We report continuous direct photoassociative formation of ultracold KRb molecules in the lowest vibrational levels $(v"=0 -10)$ of the electronic ground state $(X ^1\Sigma^+)$, starting from $^{39}$K and $^{85}$Rb atoms in a magneto-optical trap. The process exploits a newfound resonant coupling between the $2(1), v'=165$ and $4(1), v'=61$ levels, which exhibit an almost equal admixture of the uncoupled eigenstates. The production rate of the $X^1\Sigma^+$ ($v"$=0) level is estimated to be $5\times10^3$ molecules/sec.

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Jayita Banerjee, David Rahmlow, Ryan Carollo, Michael Bellos, Edward E. Eyler, Phillip L. Gould, William C. Stwalley. 2012-11-26. Direct Photoassociative Formation of Ultracold KRb Molecules in the Lowest Vibrational Levels of the Ground State. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.86.053428

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