Related papers: Probing weakly-bound molecules with nonresonant li…
We propose a novel technique that promises hope of being the first to directly detect a polarization in the quantum electrodynamic (QED) vacuum. The technique is based upon the use of ultra-short pulses of light circulating in low…
Laser-based searches of the yet unobserved vacuum birefringence might be sensitive for very light hypothetical particles carrying a tiny fraction of the electron charge. We show that, with the help of contemporary techniques, polarimetric…
We provide a theory of the deflection of polar and non-polar rotating molecules by inhomogeneous static electric field. Rainbow-like features in the angular distribution of the scattered molecules are analyzed in detail. Furthermore, we…
The invention of laser immediately enabled us to detect nonlinearities of photon interaction in matter, as manifested for example by Franken et al.'s detection of second harmonic generation and the excitation of the Brillouin forward…
The capability to tune the strength of the elastic interparticle interaction is crucial for many experiments with ultracold gases. Magnetic Feshbach resonances are a tool widely used for this purpose, but future experiments would benefit…
A novel atom-molecule conversion technique has been investigated. Ultracold 85Rb atoms sitting in a DC magnetic field near the 155G Feshbach resonance are associated by applying a small sinusoidal oscillation to the magnetic field. There is…
We present a novel method for probing the alignment of the molecular axis of an ultracold, nonpolar dimer. These results are obtained using diatomic $^{87}\textrm{Rb}_2$ molecules in the vibrational ground state of the lowest triplet…
Nonlinear spectroscopy employs a series of laser pulses to interrogate dynamics in large interacting many-body systems, and has become a highly successful method for experiments in chemical physics. Current quantum optical experiments…
The propensity of molecules to spatially align along the polarization vector of intense, pulsed light fields is related to readily-accessible parameters (molecular polarizabilities, moment of inertia, peak intensity of the light and its…
We present some approaches to the computation of ultra-fast laser pulses capable of selectively breaking molecular bonds. The calculations are based on a mixed quantum-classical description: The electrons are treated quantum mechanically…
Laser light with squeezed quantum uncertainty is a powerful tool for interferometric sensing. A routine application can be found in gravitational wave observatories. A significant quantum advantage is only achievable if a large fraction of…
Using frequency-chirped radiation pressure slowing, we precisely control the velocity of a pulsed CaF molecular beam down to a few m/s, compressing its velocity spread by a factor of 10 while retaining high intensity: at a velocity of…
Relying on the quantization rule of Raab and Friedrich [Phys. Rev. A (2009) in press], we derive simple and accurate formulae for the number of rotational states supported by a weakly bound vibrational level of a diatomic molecular ion. We…
Some of us have recently reported in Science 321 232 (2008) vibrational cooling of translationally cold Cs_2 molecules into the lowest vibrational level v=0 of the singlet X 1Sigma_g ground electronic state. Starting from a sample of cold…
We demonstrate that the current laser technology used for field-free molecular alignment via a cascade of Raman rotational transitions allows for observing long-discussed non-linear quantum phenomena in the dynamics of the periodically…
Ultracold molecules can be associated from ultracold atoms by ramping the magnetic field through a Feshbach resonance. A reverse ramp dissociates the molecules. Under suitable conditions, more than one outgoing partial wave can be…
Magnetic Feshbach resonances are an invaluable tool for controlling ultracold atoms and molecules. They can be used to tune atomic interactions and have been used extensively to explore few- and many-body phenomena. They can also be used…
Two-color photoassociation of ground state $^6$Li$^{87}$Rb molecules via the $\mathrm{B}^1\Pi$ electronic state using short pulses near a magnetic Feshbach resonance is studied theoretically. A near-resonant magnetic field is applied to mix…
Detecting the internal state of polar molecules is a substantial challenge when standard techniques such as resonance-enhanced multi photon ionization (REMPI) or laser-induced fluorescense (LIF) do not work. As this is the case for most…
A new perspective on how to manipulate molecules by means of very strong laser pulses is emerging with insights from the so-called light-induced potentials, which are the adiabatic potential energy surfaces of molecules severely distorted…