Observation of Bose- enhanced photoassociation products
Anno: 2017
Autori: Ciamei A., Bayerle A., Pasquiou B., Schreck, F.
Affiliazione autori: Univ Amsterdam, Inst Phys, NL-1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands
Abstract: We produce Sr-84(2) molecules using Bose-enhanced Raman photoassociation. We apply the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) technique on a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) to produce more than 8 x 103 ultracold molecules. This chemical reaction is only made possible because of the Bose enhancement of the optical transition dipole moment between the initial atomic state and an intermediate molecular state. We study the effect of Bose enhancement by measuring the transition Rabi frequency in a BEC and by comparing it with measurements for two atoms in sites of a Mott insulator. By breaking the dimers’ bond and directly observing the separated atoms, we measure the molecular inelastic collision rate parameters. We discuss the possibility of applying Bose-enhanced STIRAP to convert a BEC of atoms into a BEC of molecules, and argue that the required efficiency for STIRAP is within experimental reach.
Giornale/Rivista: EPL
Volume: 119 Da Pagina: 46001-1 A: 46001-7
Parole chiavi: LONG-RANGE MOLECULES; EINSTEIN CONDENSATE; FERMI GAS; STATE; SPECTROSCOPY; COLLISIONS; ATOMSDOI: 10.1209/0295-5075/119/46001