Ultracold Hg₂ molecules by photoassociation

This contribution reviews the current experimental campaigns at the double MOT (Hg, Rb) experiment of Witkowski & Ciuryło in Toruń, Poland. Particularly the photo-association [PA] of bosonic ²⁰²Hg which aims to produce ro-vibrationally excited Hg₂, suitable for STIRAP, by scanning a cw PA beam (~100mW) red detuned from 254nm resonance (up to 50MHz). Two experimental protocols are followed; first looks for reduction of MOT fluorescence due to PA by PMT, second involves loading of a 300W optical dipole trap, followed by PA and TOF. Lastly it is shown how these experimental efforts fit into the greater aim of measuring Hg clock transitions (1s0→3p0, 1s0→3p2) in an optical lattice, at magic wavelength of 366nm, and performing Kings plot analysis of isotope shifts for these two transitions with a dedicated two-color ULE cavity.