Related papers: Detecting high density ultracold molecules using a…
We demonstrate the direct formation of vibronic ground state RbCs molecules by photoassociation of ultracold atoms followed by radiative stabilization. The photoassociation proceeds through deeply-bound levels of the (2)^{3}\Pi_{0^{+}}…
Chemical reaction rates often depend strongly on stereodynamics, namely the orientation and movement of molecules in three-dimensional space. An ultracold molecular gas, with a temperature below 1 uK, provides a highly unusual regime for…
Mergoassociation of two ultracold atoms to form a weakly bound molecule can occur when two optical traps that each contain a single atom are merged. Molecule formation occurs at an avoided crossing between a molecular state and the lowest…
We investigate the dynamical process of optically trapped X$^{1}$$\Sigma$$^{+}$ (v" = 0) state $^{85}$Rb$^{133}$Cs molecules distributing in J" = 1 and J" = 3 rotational states. The considered molecules, formed from short-range…
Population dynamics in weakly-excited clouds of ultracold $^{87}$Rb Rydberg atoms were studied by means of trap loss, fluorescence detection, and state dependent stimulated emission. Rydberg atoms were excited to various nl Rydberg states…
Ultracold collisions of neutral atoms and molecules have been of great interest since experimental advances enabled the cooling and trapping of such species. This study is a theoretical investigation of a low-energy collision between an…
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…
Chemical reactions typically proceed via stochastic encounters between reactants. Going beyond this paradigm, we combine exactly two atoms into a single, controlled reaction. The experimental apparatus traps two individual laser-cooled…
The optical properties of randomly positioned, resonant scatterers is a fundamentally difficult problem to address across a wide range of densities and geometries. We investigate it experimentally using a dense cloud of rubidium atoms…
We report on the dynamics of ultracold collisions induced by near-resonant frequency-chirped light. A series of identical chirped pulses, separated by a variable delay, is applied to an ultracold sample of 85Rb, and the rate of inelastic…
We present expressions demonstrating that collisional decoherence of ultracold atoms or molecules in a coherent superposition of non-degenerate quantum states is suppressed when both the real and imaginary parts of the scattering lengths…
We developed an ultra-compact high-resolution imaging system for cold atoms. Its only in-vacuum element is a multimode optical fiber with a diameter of $230\,\mu$m, which simultaneously collects light and guides it out of the vacuum…
The direct photodissociation of trapped $^{85}$Rb$_2^+$ (rubidium) molecular ions by the cooling light for the $^{85}$Rb magneto-optical trap (MOT) is studied, both experimentally and theoretically. Vibrationally excited Rb$_{2}^{+}$ ions…
We study collisions in an optically trapped, pure sample of ultracold Cs$_2$ molecules in various internal states. The molecular gas is created by Feshbach association from a near-degenerate atomic gas, with adjustable temperatures in the…
The study of ultracold molecules tightly trapped in an optical lattice can expand the frontier of precision measurement and spectroscopy, and provide a deeper insight into molecular and fundamental physics. Here we create, probe, and image…
We report the production of ultracold heteronuclear 7Li85Rb molecules in excited electronic states by photoassociation (PA) of ultracold 7Li and 85Rb atoms. PA is performed in a dual-species 7Li-85Rb magneto-optical trap (MOT) and the PA…
We study inelastic collisions between CaF molecules and $^{87}$Rb atoms in a dual-species magneto-optical trap. The presence of atoms increases the loss rate of molecules from the trap. By measuring the loss rates and density distributions,…
We present a formalism for rigorous calculations of cross sections for inelastic and reactive collisions of ultracold atoms and molecules confined by laser fields in quasi-2D geometry. Our results show that the elastic-to-inelastic ratios…
Rapid progress in atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics techniques enabled the creation of ultracold samples of molecular species and opened opportunities to explore chemistry in the ultralow temperature regime. In particular, both…
In this paper, we use steady-state measurements to obtain evidence of radiation trapping in an optically thick a cloud of cold rubidium atoms. We investigate the fluorescence properties of our sample, pumped on opened transitions. The…