Broadband Vibrational Cooling of Cold Cesium Molecules: Theory and Experiments

Year: 2009

Authors: Sofikitis D., Fioretti A., Weber S., Viteau M., Chotia A., Horchani R., Allegrini M., Chatel B.,
Comparat D., Pillet P.

Autors Affiliation: Laboratoire Aime Cotton, CNRS, Universite Paris-Sud, Bat. 505, 91405 Orsay, France; Laboratoire Collisions, Agregats, Reactivite (UMR 5589, CNRS-Universite Paul Sabatier Toulouse 3), IRSAMC, Toulouse, France; CNISM, Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo, 356127 PISA, Italy

Abstract: The use of a broadband, frequency shaped femtosecond laser on translationally cold cesium molecules has recently demonstrated to be a very efficient method of cooling also the vibrational degree of freedom. A sample of cold molecules, initially distributed over several vibrational levels, has thus been transfered into a single selected vibrational level of the singlet. X(1)Sigma(g) ground electronic state. Our method is based on repeated optical pumping by laser light with a spectrum broad enough to excite all populated vibrational levels but limited in its frequency bandwidth with a spatial light modulator. In such a way we are able to eliminate transitions from the selected level, in which molecules accumulate. In this paper we briefly report the main experimental results and then address, in a detailed way by computer simulations, the perspectives for a \”complete\” cooling of the molecules, including also the rotational degree of freedom. Since the pumping process strongly depends on the relative shape of the ground and excited potential curves, ro-vibrational cooling through different excited states is theoretically compared.

Journal/Review: CHINESE JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS

Volume: 22 (2)      Pages from: 149  to: 156

KeyWords: Cold molecule; Laser cooling; Optical pumping; Pulse shaping; Ultrashort pulse
DOI: 10.1088/1674-0068/22/02/149-156

Citations: 5
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