Abstract
We demonstrate the existence of a new mechanism for the formation of ultracold molecules via photoassociation of cold cesium atoms. The experimental results, interpreted with numerical calculations, suggest that a resonant coupling between vibrational levels of the and states enables formation of ultracold molecules in vibrational levels of the ground state well below the dissociation limit. Such a scheme should be observable with many other electronic states and atomic species.
- Received 25 September 2000
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.2253
©2001 American Physical Society