https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2004-00155-6
Prospects for production of ultracold X 1Σ+ RbCs molecules*
1
Department of Physics and Astronomy,
SUNY, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3800, USA
2
Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
Corresponding author: a thbergeman@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
Received:
30
June
2004
Revised:
1
September
2004
Published online:
23
November
2004
Recently, we have reported photoassociation of laser-cooled Rb and Cs atoms,
decay of the RbCs photoassociation resonances to high levels of the
state, and reexcitation to vibronic levels of the
state [Kerman et al., Phys. Rev. Lett.
92, 033004; 153001 (2004)]. Considering the reexcitation spectrum,
we report here a preliminary analysis of perturbations in the c state by
high levels of the 
and low levels of the 
state.
Mixing with the B state provides the singlet character needed to stimulate
decay to v=0 of the 
ground state. We conclude that
an experimental procedure that involves photoassociation
of laser-cooled atoms, radiative decay, and stimulated Raman transfer
to the ground electronic state is a feasible method for
producing translationally, rotationally, vibrationally and electronically
cold RbCs molecules.
PACS: 33.80.Ps – Optical cooling of molecules; trapping / 34.50.Gb – Electronic excitation and ionization of molecules; intermediate molecular states (including lifetimes, state mixing, etc.) / 33.20.Kf – Visible spectra / 34.20.-b – Interatomic and intermolecular potentials and forces, potential energy surfaces for collisions / 33.15.Pw – Fine and hyperfine structure
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2004
