Photoassociation of Sodium in a Bose-Einstein Condensate

C. McKenzie; J. Hecker Denschlag; H. Häffner; A. Browaeys; Luís E. E. de Araujo; F. K. Fatemi; K. M. Jones; J. E. Simsarian; D. Cho; A. Simoni; E. Tiesinga; P. S. Julienne; K. Helmerson; P. D. Lett; S. L. Rolston; W. D. Phillips

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.120403

Photoassociation of Sodium in a Bose-Einstein Condensate

C. McKenzie, J. Hecker Denschlag, H. Häffner, A. Browaeys, Luís E. E. de Araujo, F. K. Fatemi, K. M. Jones, J. E. Simsarian, D. Cho, A. Simoni, E. Tiesinga, P. S. Julienne, K. Helmerson, P. D. Lett, S. L. Rolston, and W. D. Phillips

Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 120403 – Published 7 March 2002

Abstract

We form ultracold ${Na}_{2}$ molecules by single-photon photoassociation of a Bose-Einstein condensate, measuring the photoassociation rate, linewidth, and light shift of the $J = 1$ , $v = 135$ vibrational level of the $A^{1} Σ_{u}^{+}$ molecular state. The photoassociation rate constant increases linearly with intensity, even where it is predicted that many-body effects might limit the rate. Our observations are in good agreement with a two-body theory having no free parameters.

Received 27 November 2001

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.120403

Authors & Affiliations

C. McKenzie, J. Hecker Denschlag^*, H. Häffner^†, A. Browaeys, Luís E. E. de Araujo^‡, F. K. Fatemi^§, K. M. Jones^∥, J. E. Simsarian^¶, D. Cho^**, A. Simoni^††, E. Tiesinga, P. S. Julienne, K. Helmerson, P. D. Lett, S. L. Rolston, and W. D. Phillips

National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899

^*Institut für Experimentalphysik, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstrasse 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
^†Institut für Experimentalphysik, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstrasse 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
^‡The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627.
^§Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375.
^∥Department of Physics, Williams College, Williamstown, MA 01267.
^¶Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, Holmdel, NJ 07733.
^**Department of Physics, Korea University, 5-1 Ka Anam-dong, Sungbuk-ku, Seoul 136-701, Korea.
^††INFM and LENS, Università di Firenze, Largo E. Fermi 2, I-50125, Firenze, Italy.