Observation of photoassociation of ultracold sodium and cesium at the asymptote Na (3S(1/2)) + Cs (6P(1/2))

摘要

We report on the production of ultracold heteronuclear NaCs* molecules in a dual-species magnetooptical trap through photoassociation. The electronically excited molecules are formed below the Na (3S(1/2)) + Cs (6P(1/2)) dissociation limit. 12 resonance lines are detected using trap-loss spectroscopy based on a highly sensitive modulation technique. The highest observed rovibrational level exhibits clear hyperfine structure, which is detected for the first time. This structure is simulated within a simplified model consisting of 4 coupled levels belonging to the initially unperturbed Hund's case "a" electronic states, which have been explored in our previous work that dealt with the Na (3S(1/2)) + Cs (6P(3/2)) asymptote [W. Liu et al., Phys. Rev. A 94, 032518 (2016)]. Published by AIP Publishing.