Photoassociative molecular spectroscopy for atomic radiative lifetimes

Nadia Bouloufa (1) , Anne Crubellier (1) , Olivier Dulieu (1)

1 LAC - Laboratoire Aimé Cotton

When the atoms of a dimer remain most of the time very far apart, in so-called long-range molecular states, their mutual interaction is ruled by plain atomic properties. The high-resolution spectroscopic study of some molecular excited states populated by photoassociation of cold atoms (photoassociative spectroscopy) gives a good illustration of this property. It provides accurate determinations of atomic radiative lifetimes, which are known to be sensitive tests for atomic calculations. A number of such analyses has been performed up to now, for all stable alkali atoms and for some other atomic species (Ca, Sr, Yb). A systematic review of these determinations is attempted here, with special attention paid to accuracy issues.

Domaines: Physique Quantique [quant-ph]

Nadia Bouloufa, Anne Crubellier, Olivier Dulieu. Photoassociative molecular spectroscopy for atomic radiative lifetimes. 2009. ⟨hal-00361938⟩