Abstract
Recently, the method of Lu-Fano plots was extended to potentials with general asymptotic behavior. The aim of this paper is to discuss the efficiency of this method for the interpretation of experimental vibrational spectra of long-range diatomic molecules when two channels are coupled. A Lu-Fano analysis is implemented on experimental data for the photoassociation spectra below the and dissociation limits. The parameters are fitted on level energies and predissociation widths, giving information about the asymptotic coefficients for both channels and about a coupling parameter which determines the variation of predissociation widths as a function of detuning. This parameter can be extrapolated above the threshold to yield the fine-structure transition cross section between the two channels. The probability for such a transition in a model where hyperfine structure effects are neglected is found to be 0.54.
- Received 18 December 2001
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.65.062710
©2002 American Physical Society