title: Optical production of ultracold polar molecules.
abstract: We demonstrate the production of ultracold polar RbCs molecules in their vibronic ground state, via photoassociation of laser-cooled atoms followed by a laser-stimulated state transfer process. The resulting sample of X1Sigma+ (nu = 0) molecules has a translational temperature of approximately 100 microK and a narrow distribution of rotational states. With the method described here it should be possible to produce samples even colder in all degrees of freedom, as well as other bialkali species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA.
authors.forename: Jeremy M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sage
authors.forename: Sunil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sainis
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bergeman
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: DeMille