Formation of Ultracold Molecules by Merging Optical Tweezers

Ruttley, D K; Guttridge, A; Spence, S; Bird, R C; Le Sueur, C R; Hutson, J M; Cornish, S L

Abstract

We demonstrate the formation of a single RbCs molecule during the merging of two optical tweezers, one containing a single Rb atom and the other a single Cs atom. Both atoms are initially predominantly in the motional ground states of their respective tweezers. We confirm molecule formation and establish the state of the molecule formed by measuring its binding energy. We find that the probability of molecule formation can be controlled by tuning the confinement of the traps during the merging process, in good agreement with coupled-channel calculations. We show that the conversion efficiency from atoms to molecules using this technique is comparable to magnetoassociation.

Citation

Ruttley, D. K., Guttridge, A., Spence, S., Bird, R. C., Le Sueur, C. R., Hutson, J. M., & Cornish, S. L. (2023). Formation of Ultracold Molecules by Merging Optical Tweezers. Physical Review Letters, 130(22), https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.130.223401

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 25, 2023
• Online Publication Date: May 31, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023
• Deposit Date: Feb 13, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 14, 2023
• Journal: Physical Review Letters
• Print ISSN: 0031-9007
• Electronic ISSN: 1079-7114
• Publisher: American Physical Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 130
• Issue: 22
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.130.223401
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1180740