6 research outputs found
Rate limit for photoassociation of a Bose-Einstein condensate
We simulate numerically the photodissociation of molecules into noncondensate
atom pairs that accompanies photoassociation of an atomic Bose-Einstein
condensate into a molecular condensate. Such rogue photodissociation sets a
limit on the achievable rate of photoassociation. Given the atom density \rho
and mass m, the limit is approximately 6\hbar\rho^{2/3}/m. At low temperatures
this is a more stringent restriction than the unitary limit of scattering
theory.Comment: 5 pgs, 18 refs., 3 figs., submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Photoassociation of sodium in a Bose-Einstein condensate
We report on the formation of ultra-cold Na molecules using single-photon
photoassociation of a Bose-Einstein condensate. The photoassociation rate,
linewidth and light shift of the J=1, vibrational level of the
\mterm{A}{1}{+}{u} molecular bound state have been measured. We find that the
photoassociation rate constant increases linearly with intensity, even where it
is predicted that many-body effects might limit the rate. Our observations are
everywhere in good agreement with a two-body theory having no free parameters.Comment: Fixes to the figures and references. Just the normal human stupidity
type stuff, nothing Earth-shatterin
Feshbach-Stimulated Photoproduction of a Stable Molecular Condensate
Photoassociation and the Feshbach resonance are, in principle, feasible means
for creating a molecular Bose-Einstein condensate from an
already-quantum-degenerate gas of atoms; however, mean-field shifts and
irreversible decay place practical constraints on the efficient delivery of
stable molecules using either mechanism alone. We therefore propose
Feshbach-stimulated Raman photoproduction, i.e., a combination of magnetic and
optical methods, as a viable means to collectively convert degenerate atoms
into a stable molecular condensate with near-unit efficiency.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 1 table; v3 includes few-level diagram of scheme,
and added discussion; transferred to PR
Superposition of macroscopic numbers of atoms and molecules
We theoretically examine photoassociation of a non-ideal Bose-Einstein
condensate, focusing on evidence for a macroscopic superposition of atoms and
molecules. This problem raises an interest because, rather than two states of a
given object, an atom-molecule system is a seemingly impossible macroscopic
superposition of different objects. Nevertheless, photoassociation enables
coherent intraparticle conversion, and we thereby propose a viable scheme for
creating a superposition of a macroscopic number of atoms with a macroscopic
number of molecules.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figs, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Quantum superchemistry: Role of trapping profile and quantum statistics
The process of Raman photoassociation of a trapped atomic condensate to form condensed molecules has been labeled superchemistry because it can occur at 0 K and experiences coherent bosonic stimulation. We show here that the differences from ordinary chemical processes go even deeper, with the conversion rates depending on the quantum state of the reactants, as expressed by the Wigner function. We consider different initial quantum states of the trapped atomic condensate and different forms of the confining potentials, demonstrating the importance of the quantum statistics and the extra degrees of freedom which massive particles and trapping potentials make available over the analogous optical process of second-harmonic generation. We show that both mean-field analyses and quantum calculations using an inappropriate initial condition can make inaccurate predictions for a given system. This is possible whether using a spatially dependent analysis or a zero-dimensional approach as commonly used in quantum optics