Excitation of ultracold molecules to trilobite-like Rydberg states

ORAL

Abstract

A class of long-range Rydberg molecules, sometimes called ``trilobite states,'' occurs when a ground-state atom is embedded in the electronic cloud of a Rydberg atom.\footnote{C. H. Greene, A. S. Dickinson, and H. R. Sadeghpour, Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{85}, 2458 (2000).} The bond between the Rydberg atom and the ground-state atom originates from the low-energy scattering of the Rydberg electron from the ground-state atom. We produce trilobite-like states of ultracold Rb$_2$ at low principal quantum numbers and at internuclear distances below 40 bohr. We populate these states through single-photon ultraviolet transitions starting from molecules in high-lying vibrational levels. This demonstrates that long-range Rydberg molecules can also be excited through bound-bound transitions, in contrast with previous studies that used free-bound transitions. We discuss the advantages of a bound-bound pathway.

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Authors

  • Michael Bellos

    Dept. of Physics, University of Connecticut, University of Connecticut

  • Ryan Carollo

    Dept. of Physics, University of Connecticut, University of Connecticut

  • Jayita Banerjee

    Dept. of Physics, University of Connecticut, University of Connecticut

  • Edward Eyler

    University of Connecticut, Dept. of Physics, University of Connecticut

  • Phillip Gould

    Dept. of Physics, University of Connecticut, University of Connecticut

  • William Stwalley

    Dept. of Physics, University of Connecticut, University of Connecticut, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-3046, USA