We observe trilobite-like states of ultracold 85Rb2 molecules, in which a ground-state atom is bound by the electronic wavefunction of its Rydberg-atom partner. We populate these states through the ultraviolet excitation of weakly-bound molecules, an
d access a regime of trilobite-like states at low principal quantum numbers and with vibrational turning points around 35 Bohr radii. This demonstrates that, unlike previous studies that used free-to-bound transitions, trilobite-like states can also be excited through bound-to-bound transitions. This approach provides high excitation probabilities without requiring high-density samples, and affords the ability to control the excitation radius by selection of the initial-state vibrational level.
We report an upper bound to the ionization energy of 85Rb2 of 31348.0(6) cm-1, which also provides a lower bound to the dissociation energy D0 of 85Rb2+ of 6307.5(6) cm-1. These bounds were measured by the onset of autoionization of excited states of
85Rb2 below the 5s+7p atomic limit. We form 85Rb2 molecules via photoassociation of ultracold 85Rb atoms, and subsequently excite the molecules by single-photon ultraviolet transitions to states above the ionization threshold.
We report on the anomalously high line strength of a single rotational level in the ultracold photoassociation of two 85Rb atoms to form 85Rb2. The v = 111, J = 5 level belongs to the Hunds case (c) 2 (0g+) state, which correlates to the Hunds case (
a) 2 1 Sigma g+ state. Its strength is caused by coupling with a very near-resonant long-range state. The long-range component is the energetically degenerate v = 155, J = 5 level of the case (c) 2 (1g)$ state, correlating to the case (a) 1 1 Pi g state. The line strength is enhanced by an order of magnitude through this coupling, relative to nearby vibrational levels and even to nearby rotational levels of the same vibrational level. This enhancement is in addition to the enhancement seen in all J = 3 and 5 levels of the 2 (0g+) state due to an l = 4 shape resonance in the a 3 Sigma u+ state continuum, which alters the distribution of levels formed by photoassociation.
We report the first observation of photoassociation to the 2(1)Sigma(g)(+) state of 85Rb2 . We have observed two vibrational levels (v=98, 99) below the 5s1/2+5p1/2 atomic limit and eleven vibrational levels (v=102-112) above it. The photoassociation
---and subsequent spontaneous emission---occur predominantly between 15 and 20 Bohr in a region of internuclear distance best described as a transition between Hunds case (a) and Hunds case (c) coupling. The presence of a g-wave shape resonance in the collision of two ground-state atoms affects the photoassociation rate and lineshape of the J= 3 and 5 rotational levels.
We report on the observation of blue-detuned photoassociation in Rb2, in which vibrational levels are energetically above the corresponding excited atomic asymptote. 85Rb atoms in a MOT were photoassociated at short internuclear distances to levels o
f the (1)3Pi g state at a rate of approximately 5x10^4 molecules/s. We have observed most of the predicted vibrational levels for all four spin-orbit components 0g+, 0g-, 1g, and 2g, including levels of the 0g+ outer well. These molecules decay to the metastable a3Sigma u+ state, some preferentially to the v=0 level, as we have observed for photoassociation to the v=8 level of the 1g component.
