Photoassociation of cold atoms with chirped laser pulses: Time-dependent calculations and analysis of the adiabatic transfer within a two-state model

This theoretical paper presents numerical calculations for the photoassociation of ultracold cesium atoms with a chirped laser pulse and a detailed analysis of the results. In contrast with earlier work, the initial state is represented by a stationary continuum wave function. In the chosen example, it is shown that an important population transfer is achieved to ≈15 vibrational levels in the vicinity of the v=98 bound level in the external well of the 0_g⁻(6s+6p_3∕2) potential. Such levels lie in the energy range swept by the instantaneous frequency of the pulse, thus defining a “photoassociation window.” Levels outside this window may be significantly excited during the pulse, but no population remains there after the pulse. Finally, the population transfer to the last vibrational levels of the ground a ³∑_u⁺(6s+6s) state is significant, making stable molecules. The results are interpreted in the framework of a two-state model as an adiabatic inversion mechanism, efficient only within the photoassociation window. The large value found for the photoassociation rate suggests promising applications. The present chirp has been designed in view of creating in the excited state a vibrational wave packet that is focusing at the barrier of the double-well potential.