Dark resonances for ground-state transfer of molecular quantum gases

Abstract

One possible way to produce ultra-cold, high-phase-space-density quantum gases of molecules in the rovibronic ground state is given by molecule association from quantum-degenerate atomic gases on a Feshbach resonance and subsequent coherent optical multi-photon transfer into the rovibronic ground state. In ultra-cold samples of Cs(2) molecules, we observe two-photon dark resonances that connect the intermediate rovibrational level vertical bar v=73,J=2 textgreater with the rovibrational ground state vertical bar v=0,J=0 textgreater of the singlet X (1) I pound (g) (+) ground-state potential. For precise dark resonance spectroscopy we exploit the fact that it is possible to efficiently populate the level vertical bar v=73,J=2 textgreater by two-photon transfer from the dissociation threshold with the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) technique. We find that at least one of the two-photon resonances is sufficiently strong to allow future implementation of coherent STIRAP transfer of a molecular quantum gas to the rovibrational ground state vertical bar v=0,J=0 textgreater.

Publication
Applied Physics B: Lasers and Optics