Date of Completion

5-7-2015

Embargo Period

5-7-2015

Keywords

ultracold molecules, photoassociation, coherent control

Major Advisor

Phillip Gould

Associate Advisor

Winthrop Smith

Associate Advisor

Susanne Yelin

Field of Study

Physics

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Open Access

Open Access

Abstract

We present results on the effects of nanosecond-timescale frequency-chirped laser light on the formation of 87Rb2 ultracold ground-state molecules. We investigate these effects through photoassociation (PA) experiments and quantum mechanical simulations. The PA experiments show that at higher intensities, the positive chirps have a higher formation rate than the unchirped or negative linear chirps. The quantum mechanical simulations reveal the mechanism responsible for this enhancement. Contributions from stimulated emission cause the positive chirp to be the most efficient for molecule formation.

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