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arXiv:0904.2408 · Physical Review A

Correlation dynamics after short-pulse photoassociation

Christiane P. Koch, Ronnie Kosloff

Published Jun 28, 2010• 10 citations
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Abstract

Two atoms in an ultracold gas are correlated at short interatomic distances due to threshold effects in which the potential energy of their interaction dominates the kinetic energy. The correlations manifest themselves in a distinct nodal structure of the density matrix at short interatomic distances. Pump-probe spectroscopy has recently been suggested [Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 260401 (2009)] to probe these pair correlations: A suitably chosen, short photoassociation laser pulse depletes the ground-state pair density within the photoassociation window, creating a nonstationary wave packet in the electronic ground state. The dynamics of this nonstationary wave packet is monitored by time-delayed probe and ionization pulses. Here we discuss how the choice of the pulse parameters affects the experimental feasibility of this pump-probe spectroscopy of two-body correlations.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.81.063426

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Two atoms in an ultracold gas are correlated at short interatomic distances due to threshold effects in which the potential energy of their interaction dominates the kinetic energy. The correlations manifest themselves in a distinct nodal structure of the density matrix at short interatomic distances. Pump-probe spectroscopy has recently been suggested [Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 260401 (2009)] to probe these pair correlations: A suitably chosen, short photoassociation laser pulse depletes the ground-state pair density within the photoassociation window, creating a nonstationary wave packet in the electronic ground state. The dynamics of this nonstationary wave packet is monitored by time-delayed probe and ionization pulses. Here we discuss how the choice of the pulse parameters affects the experimental feasibility of this pump-probe spectroscopy of two-body correlations.
Photoassociation in laser-assisted collisions of ultracold alkali atoms has been used recently to perform high-precision spectroscopy of very-long-range states. Rovibrational spectra close to the Na(3 2^{2}2S)+Na∗{\mathrm{Na}}^{\mathrm{*}}Na∗(3 2^{2}2P3/2{\mathit{P}}_{3/2}P3/2​) dissociation limit have been obtained by monitoring an enhanced Na2+{\mathrm{Na}}_{2}^{+}Na2+​ ion signal. We propose the use of pump-probe techniques to study the dynamics of the ionization process. At very large distances (typically 70 a.u.) two colliding Na atoms absorb a photon and form a coherent vibrational wave packet. We follow the packet in time and probe two possible mechanisms that are proposed to yield molecular ions: photoionization, where the second photon is absorbed at a small internuclear distance R directly ionizing the molecule, and associative ionization with excitation at intermediate R to the nuclear continuum of a doubly excited state followed by a half collision and autoionization at small R. The latter event can also lead to dissociation of the complex. The two mechanisms lead to distinct differences in the ion signals as a function of delay time between the pump and the probe pulses. Estimates of the ion rates to be expected in actual pump-probe experiments are given, which tend to favor the autoionization mechanism as the dominant reaction path.
Pump-probe experiments are performed in which cold colliding Na atoms are photoassociated to form Na2{\mathrm{Na}}_{2}Na2​ molecules, and subsequently ionized. The experiments are performed in a regime where the pulsed photoassociation to an intermediate potential takes place at long range, and to several electronic, vibrational, and rotational states. A probe pulse then produces an ionization signal by further exciting these molecules to autoionizing doubly excited states. The time dependence of the ion signal shows a dramatic flux-enhancement effect on a nanosecond time scale due to the motion on the intermediate potentials. This time dependence can be viewed as monitoring the inward motion and dephasing of a population wave packet formed at long range.
Ultracold photoassociation is a process in which two cold atoms combine to form a molecule. This process is crucially dependent on the atom pair density at close distance termed the photoassociation window. We explore the possibilities for increasing the pair density at the photoassociation window by using a prepulse to accelerate the pairs of atoms at large interatomic separation toward each other. We show that the signal of a subsequent photoassociation pulse could be enhanced by a factor of one to two orders of magnitude with respect to the conventional continuous wave experiment. For neutral encounters on the ground potential surface which scales as ${R}^{\ensuremath{-}6}$ the acceleration becomes negligible. The electronic excited state potentials scale for homonuclear $S\ensuremath{\rightarrow}P$ transitions more favorably as ${R}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$. A possible pump-dump mechanism for acceleration, excites a pair of atoms at large distance employing the natural acceleration on the excited state. Then a dump pulse moves the population back to the ground surface. By controlling the phase and the amplitude of the light field this scenario can be optimized. In addition the momentum partitioned between the ground and excited surfaces can also be controlled. The possibility for pure quantum light-induced acceleration due to a gradient of the transition dipole is analyzed. Significant acceleration can be obtained only for pulses with intensities above 1014W∕cm2{10}^{14}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{W}∕{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}1014W∕cm2 and pulse duration of 10ps10\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{ps}10ps.
We experimentally investigate various processes present in the photoassociative interaction of an ultracold atomic sample with shaped femtosecond laser pulses as an detailed extension of previous work [W. Salzmann et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 233003 (2008)]. We demonstrate the photoassociation of pairs of rubidium atoms into electronically excited, bound molecular states using spectrally cut femtosecond laser pulses tuned below the rubidium D1{D}_{1}D1​ or D2{D}_{2}D2​ asymptote. Time-resolved pump-probe spectra reveal oscillations of the molecular formation rate, which are due to coherent transient dynamics in the electronic excitation. The oscillation frequency corresponds to the detuning of the spectral cut position to the asymptotic transition frequency of the rubidium D1{D}_{1}D1​ or D2{D}_{2}D2​ lines, respectively. Measurements of the molecular photoassociation signal as a function of the pulse energy reveal a nonlinear dependence and indicate a nonperturbative excitation process. Chirping the association laser pulse allowed us to change the phase of the coherent transients. Furthermore, a signature for molecules in the electronic ground state is found, which is attributed to molecule formation by femtosecond photoassociation followed by spontaneous decay. In a subsequent article [A. Merli et al., Phys. Rev. A 80, 063417 (2009)] quantum mechanical calculations are presented, which compare well with the experimental data and reveal further details about the observed coherent transient dynamics.
We explore stimulated photoassociation in the context of attosecond pump-probe schemes of atomic matter. An attosecond pulse---the probe---is used to induce photoassociation of an electronic wave packet which had been created before, typically with an attosecond pump pulse at an atomic center different from the one of photoassociation. We will show that the electron absorption is maximal for a certain delay between the pulses. Two ways of enhancing and controlling stimulated photoassociation are proposed, namely, using an additional infrared pulse to steer the electronic wave packet and using a train of attosecond pulses instead of a single pair. A direct application of ultrafast stimulated photoassociation is the measurement of atomic distances.