Abstract
We describe the experimental observation of ultracold molecular formation in a novel two-species magneto-optical trap. We interpret our observations in terms of a photoassociative ionization pathway similar to that observed in a sodium trap: . We have directly measured the production rate as a function of the excitation laser frequency and intensity elucidating the role of ground-state hyperfine levels. We have observed resonance structures in the frequency-dependent ion rate which we associate with the molecular character of the process.
- Received 26 June 1998
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.1124
©1999 American Physical Society