ULTRACOLD PHOTOASSOCIATIVE SPECTROSCOPY OF HETERONUCLEAR ALKALI-METALDIATOMIC-MOLECULES

We have examined and identified the excited long-range Hund's case (c) molecular states of the ten heteronuclear alkali metal diatomic molec ules which support bound states and can be probed by ultracold photoas sociative spectroscopy. Analytical expressions for the heteronuclear l ong-range free-bound Franck-Condon factors as a function of the intern uclear distance R and the vibrational quantum number v are derived and discussed. The KRb system has considerably stronger excited long-rang e interactions than any other heteronuclear alkali diatomic molecule a nd has very favorable Franck-Condon factors for the photoassociation p rocess. The heteronuclear photoassociative spectroscopy will provide s pectroscopic measurements of the binary elastic scattering lengths of heteronuclear cold collisions which are the crucial parameters for sym pathetic cooling of mixed atomic gases. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.