Abstract
Using the technique of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) we have coherently transferred ultracold Feshbach molecules into a more deeply bound vibrational quantum level. Our measurements indicate a high transfer efficiency of up to 87%. Because the molecules are held in an optical lattice with not more than a single molecule per lattice site, inelastic collisions between the molecules are suppressed and we observe long molecular lifetimes of about 1 s. Using STIRAP we have created quantum superpositions of the two molecular states and tested their coherence interferometrically. These results represent an important step towards Bose-Einstein condensation of molecules in the vibrational ground state.
- Received 8 November 2006
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.043201
©2007 American Physical Society