arXiv:1102.2687 · Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics
Resonant enhancement of the ultracold photoassociation rate by an electric field-induced anisotropic interaction
Debashree Chakraborty, Jisha Hazra, Bimalendu Deb
Abstract
We study the effects of a static electric field on the photoassociation of a heteronuclear atom pair into a polar molecule. The interaction of permanent dipole moment with a static electric field largely affects the ground state continuum wavefunction of the atom pair at short separations where photoassociation transitions occur according to the Franck–Condon principle. Electric field-induced anisotropic interaction between two heteronuclear ground state atoms leads to scattering resonances at some specific electric fields. Near such resonances the amplitude of the scattering wavefunction at short separation increases by several orders of magnitude. As a result, the photoassociation rate is enhanced by several orders of magnitude near the resonances. We discuss in detail electric field-modified atom–atom scattering properties and resonances. We calculate the photoassociation rate that shows giant enhancement due to electric field tunable anisotropic resonances. We present selected results among which particularly important are the excitations of higher rotational levels in ultracold photoassociation due to electric field tunable resonances.