Control of ultracold collisions with frequency-chirped light.
We report on ultracold atomic collision experiments utilizing frequency-chirped laser light. A rapid chirp below the atomic resonance results in adiabatic excitation to an attractive molecular potential over a wide range of internuclear separation. This leads to a transient inelastic collision rate which is large compared to that obtained with fixed-frequency excitation. The combination of high efficiency and temporal control demonstrates the benefit of applying the techniques of coherent control to the ultracold domain.
Wright
M J
MJ
Department of Physics, U-3046, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA.
Gensemer
S D
SD
Vala
J
J
Kosloff
R
R
Gould
P L
PL