Spectroscopy of autoionizing doubly excited states in ultracold Na2 molecules produced by photoassociation
Abstract
We have performed photoassociation spectroscopy to study the doubly excited states of Na2 involved in the associative ionization of colliding Na(3P) atoms. Rovibrational levels of two doubly excited potentials connected to the P3/2+P3/2 asymptote, one of 0-u and one of 1u symmetry, have been identified. These two doubly excited potentials dominate the route to ionization used in photoassociation experiments of cold Na. Binding energies and rotational constants for all the vibrational levels with binding energies <50 GHz have been measured. The asymptotic potentials and short-range ionization probabilities are extracted from the data.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review A
- Pub Date:
- April 2000
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevA.61.042707
- Bibcode:
- 2000PhRvA..61d2707A
- Keywords:
-
- 34.50.Gb;
- Electronic excitation and ionization of molecules;
- intermediate molecular states