Controlled Production of Sub-Radiant States of a Diatomic Molecule in an Optical Lattice

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the controlled creation of sub-radiant molecular states in an optical lattice, using ytterbium atoms, with experimental confirmation through measurements of energy levels and shifts.

Contribution

It introduces a method to selectively produce and observe sub-radiant states in a diatomic molecule within an optical lattice, advancing control over quantum states.

Findings

Successful production of sub-radiant 1g states in Yb_2 molecules.

Selective excitation of sub-radiant or super-radiant states by laser tuning.

Experimental confirmation via measurements of binding energies, linewidths, and Zeeman shifts.

Abstract

We report successful production of sub-radiant states of a two-atom system in a three-dimensional optical lattice starting from doubly occupied sites in a Mott insulator phase of a quantum gas of atomic ytterbium. We can selectively produce either sub-radiant 1g state or super-radiant 0u state by choosing the excitation laser frequency. The inherent weak excitation rate for the sub-radiant 1g state is overcome by the increased atomic density due to the tight-confinement in a three-dimensional optical lattice. Our experimental measurements of binding energies, linewidth, and Zeeman shift confirm observation of sub-radiant levels of the 1g state of the Yb_2 molecule.