We demonstrate suppression of two-color photoassociative ionization in a sodium vapor magneto-optical trap by imposing an auxiliary "suppressor" light beam on the ensemble of colliding trapped atoms. We interpret the experimental results in terms of a simple picture in which the suppressor light intercepts incoming reactant particle flux and reroutes it to long-range repulsive states, effectively preventing further approach of the collision pairs.

Physical Review LettersOct 3, 199461 citations

A Rubidium Atom Magneto-Optic Trap

Evan J. Carlson, Daniel S. Roberson, Shannon K. Mayer

Bulletin of the American Physical SocietyMay 13, 20050 citations

APS

Direct Two-Color Photoassociative Ionization in a Rubidium Magneto-optic Trap

D. Leonhardt, J. Weiner

Published May 1, 1996• 0 citations

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We report the observation of direct, two-color photoassociative ionization (PAI) in collisions between

^{85}\mathrm{Rb}

atoms optically cooled and confined in a magneto-optical trap. We also measure the resulting

{\mathrm{R}}_{2}^{+}

ion spectrum and compare it to earlier trap-loss fluoresecence spectra. Unlike PAI in Na, which ionizes principally by collisional autoionization, the

{\mathrm{Rb}}_{2}^{\mathrm{*}}

intermediate photoionizes directly to

{\mathrm{Rb}}_{2}^{+}

in a fixed optical field. These observations confirm PAI as a sensitive and broadly applicable spectroscopic tool.

{{\mathrm{Rb}}_{2}}^{+}

is formed, not by direct photoionization, but by sequential excitation of

{\mathrm{Rb}}_{2}

to an autoionizing state. Determining the excitation and ionization pathway was a necessary first step for future efforts in trying to establish coherent control techniques, first for the efficient production of translationally cold

{\mathrm{Rb}}_{2}

, and then for transferring population to a desired vibrationally cold molecular state.