Violet-photon-producing ultracold collisions of rubidium atoms in the presence of nearly resonant infrared laser light (original) (raw)

1996

Abstract

We have studied ultracold collisions between ground state rubidium atoms in the presence of light from two nearly resonant lasers. The first laser is detuned 90 MHz to the red of the 5S_1/2(F=3) arrow 5P_1/2(F'=2) transition and excites colliding atoms at a rather large separation to a singly excited (5S+5P) Rb2 molecular state. The second laser is detuned between 90 MHz and 2.4 GHz to the blue of the 5S_1/2(F=3) arrow 5P_1/2(F'=3) transition and further excites the atoms to a doubly excited (5P+5P) Rb2 molecular state. The two-photon absorption sequence has a profound effect on the dynamics of the collision. A signature of the doubly excited state collision is the emission of a violet photon at small interatomic separation. We have studied the emission rate of violet photons as a function of detuning of the second laser and find a broad dependence, ~1 GHz wide, centered at about 1 GHz and with a threshold detuning around 90 MHz. Atoms are initially prepared in a standard MOT, and the collision process has been studied both with and without the trapping light present.

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