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arXiv:0812.5070 · New Journal of Physics

Deeply bound ultracold molecules in an optical lattice

Johann Georg Danzl, Manfred J. Mark, Elmar Haller, Mattias Karl Gustavsson, Russell Hart, A. Liem, Holger Zellmer, Hanns‐Christoph Nägerl

Published May 14, 2009• 28 citations
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Abstract

We demonstrate efficient transfer of ultracold molecules into a deeply bound rovibrational level of the singlet ground state potential in the presence of an optical lattice. The overall molecule creation efficiency is 25%, and the transfer efficiency to the rovibrational level | v =73, J =2⟩ is above 80%. We find that the molecules in | v =73, J =2⟩ are trapped in the optical lattice, and that the lifetime in the lattice is limited by optical excitation by the lattice light. The molecule trapping time for a lattice depth of 15 atomic recoil energies is about 20 ms. We determine the trapping frequency by the lattice phase and amplitude modulation technique. It will now be possible to transfer the molecules to the rovibrational ground state | v =0, J =0⟩ in the presence of the optical lattice.

DOI
10.1088/1367-2630/11/5/055036

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We demonstrate efficient transfer of ultracold molecules into a deeply bound rovibrational level of the singlet ground state potential in the presence of an optical lattice. The overall molecule creation efficiency is 25%, and the transfer efficiency to the rovibrational level | v =73, J =2⟩ is above 80%. We find that the molecules in | v =73, J =2⟩ are trapped in the optical lattice, and that the lifetime in the lattice is limited by optical excitation by the lattice light. The molecule trapping time for a lattice depth of 15 atomic recoil energies is about 20 ms. We determine the trapping frequency by the lattice phase and amplitude modulation technique. It will now be possible to transfer the molecules to the rovibrational ground state | v =0, J =0⟩ in the presence of the optical lattice.
Abstract We study, both theoretically and experimentally, the dynamical polarizability of molecules in the rovibrational ground state of . Taking all relevant excited molecular bound states into account, we compute the complex-valued polarizability for wave numbers up to 20 000 . Our calculations are compared to experimental results at ( ) as well as at ( ). Here, we discuss the measurements at . The ultracold Rb2 molecules are trapped in the lowest Bloch band of a 3D optical lattice. Their polarizability is determined by lattice modulation spectroscopy which measures the potential depth for a given light intensity. Moreover, we investigate the decay of molecules in the optical lattice, where lifetimes of more than are observed. In addition, the dynamical polarizability for the state is calculated. We provide simple analytical expressions that reproduce the numerical results for for all vibrational levels of as well as . Precise knowledge of the molecular polarizability is essential for designing experiments with ultracold molecules as lifetimes and lattice depths are key parameters. Specifically the wavelength at is of interest, since here, ultrastable high power lasers are available.
We produce an ultracold and dense sample of rovibronic ground state Cs 2 molecules close to the regime of quantum degeneracy, in a single hyperfine level, in the presence of an optical lattice. The molecules are individually trapped, in the motional ground state of an optical lattice well, with a lifetime of 8 s. For preparation, we start with a zero-temperature atomic Mott-insulator state with optimized double-site occupancy and efficiently associate weakly-bound dimer molecules on a Feshbach resonance. Despite extremely weak Franck-Condon wavefunction overlap, the molecules are subsequently transferred with >50% efficiency to the rovibronic ground state by a stimulated four-photon process. Our results present a crucial step towards the generation of Bose-Einstein condensates of ground-state molecules and, when suitably generalized to polar heteronuclear molecules such as RbCs, the realization of dipolar many-body quantum-gas phases in periodic potentials.
We study, both theoretically and experimentally, the dynamical polarizability α(ω) of Rb2 molecules in the rovibrational ground state of a3Σ+u. Taking all relevant excited molecular bound states into account, we compute the complex-valued polarizability α(ω) for wave numbers up to 20000cm−1. Our calculations are compared to experimental results at 1064.5nm (∼9400cm−1) as well as at 830.4nm (∼12000cm−1). Here, we discuss the measurements at 1064.5nm. The ultracold Rb2 molecules are trapped in the lowest Bloch band of a 3D optical lattice. Their polarizability is determined by lattice modulation spectroscopy which measures the potential depth for a given light intensity. Moreover, we investigate the decay of molecules in the optical lattice, where lifetimes of more than 2s are observed. In addition, the dynamical polarizability for the X1Σ+g state is calculated. We provide simple analytical expressions that reproduce the numerical results for α(ω) for all vibrational levels of a3Σ+u as well as X1Σ+g. Precise knowledge of the molecular polarizability is essential for designing experiments with ultracold molecules as lifetimes and lattice depths are key parameters. Specifically the wavelength at ∼1064nm is of interest, since here, ultrastable high power lasers are available.
We suggest and analyze a technique for efficient and robust creation of dense ultracold molecular ensembles in their ground rovibrational state. In our approach a molecule is brought to the ground state through a series of intermediate vibrational states via a multistate chainwise stimulated Raman adiabatic passage technique. We study the influence of the intermediate states decay on the transfer process and suggest an approach that minimizes the population of these states, resulting in a maximal transfer efficiency. As an example, we analyze the formation of 87Rb2^{87}\mathrm{Rb}_{2}87Rb2​ starting from an initial Feshbach molecular state and taking into account major decay mechanisms due to inelastic atom-molecule and molecule-molecule collisions. Numerical analysis suggests a transfer efficiency >90>90%>90, even in the presence of strong collisional relaxation as are present in a high density atomic gas.
One possibility for the creation of ultracold, high phase space density quantum gases of molecules in the rovibronic ground state relies on first associating weakly-bound molecules from quantum-degenerate atomic gases on a Feshbach resonance and then transferring the molecules via several steps of coherent two-photon stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) into the rovibronic ground state. Here, in ultracold samples of Cs2 Feshbach molecules produced out of ultracold samples of Cs atoms, we observe several optical transitions to deeply-bound rovibrational levels of the excited 0(u)+ molecular potentials with high resolution. At least one of these transitions, although rather weak, allows efficient STIRAP transfer into the deeply-bound vibrational level (see text for symbols)v = 73 > of the singlet X1 sigma(g)+ ground state potential, as recently demonstrated (J. G. Danzl, E. Haller, M. Gustavsson, M. J. Mark, R. Hart, N. Bouloufa, O. Dulieu, H. Ritsch, and H.-C. Nägerl, Science, 2008, 321, 1062). From this level, the rovibrational ground state (see text for symbols)v = 0, J = 0 > can be reached with one more transfer step. In total, our results show that coherent ground state transfer for Cs2 is possible using a maximum of two successive two-photon STIRAP processes or one single four-photon STIRAP process.