Abstract
We have measured the intensity dependent rate and frequency shift of a photoassociation transition in a quantum degenerate gas of . The rate increases linearly with photoassociation laser intensity for low intensities, whereas saturation is observed at higher intensities. The measured rates and shifts agree reasonably well with theory within the estimated systematic uncertainties. Several theoretically predicted saturation mechanisms are discussed, but a theory in which saturation arises because of quantum mechanical unitarity agrees well with the data.
- Received 9 July 2002
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.080402
©2003 American Physical Society