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We report the experimental measurements of the decay rate of polar cesium nD5/2 − 6S1/2 Rydberg-ground molecules with a large principal quantum number range of 35 ≤ n ≤ 40. Rydberg molecules are prepared employing the method of two-photon photoassociation and the molecular (atomic) ions, due to autoionization (blackbody photoionization), are detected with a microchannel plate detector. The decay rate Γ of the vibrational ground state of the deep and shadow bound molecules for triplet (TΣ) and mixed singlet-triplet (S,TΣ) are measured by fitting the molecular population with the exponential function. Comparing with the parent atom, the decay rate of the polar Rydberg-ground molecule shows an obvious increase with a magnitude of a few μs. The possible dissociation mechanism of polar Rydberg-ground molecules including a collisional decay, blackbody induced decay, and coupling of adjacent Rydberg states and tunneling decay are discussed in detail. The theoretical model is induced to simulate the measurements, showing agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an experimental observation of 37D5/2 + 6S1/2Cs2 Rydberg-ground molecules by employing a two-photon photoassociation method. Two distinct Rydberg-ground molecular signals, deep and shallow bound molecules, are observed at the red detuning of atomic line. In theory, the model of scattering interaction between the Rydberg electron and ground-state atom is used to simulate the experiments. Two potential energy curves with energy minimum, deep pure triplet 3Σ and shallow hyperfine-mixed singlet–triplet 1,3Σ potentials, refer to the attained Rydberg-ground molecular signals, respectively. Calculations of the binding energy of triplet 3Σ and mixed 1,3Σ v = 0 states are compared with the measurements. The agreement between the calculated and measured values of the binding energy yields zero-energy scattering lengths a s T (0) = −19.2a0 and a s S (0) = −1.3a0, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient method to study highly excited states at the ab initio level has been introduced and applied to ultralong Rydberg CsNe molecules. Vibrational properties of Rydberg CsNe molecules are investigated on corresponding potential energy curves obtained by perturbation theory. The Rydberg CsNe molecules are associated with a Rydberg Cs(ns/np) atom (n = 20-60) and a ground state Ne(1S0) atom. The starting point for the perturbation treatment of corresponding Rydberg molecular potential energy curves is to generate accurate atomic Rydberg states from realistic ab initio effective core potential. According to the authors' knowledge this is a good reference for ultralong range molecules (order of 1000 Bohr radii) to be studied at the ab initio level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an experimental observation of 37D 5/2 + 6S 1/2 Cs 2 Rydberg-ground molecules by employing a two-photon photoassociation method. Two distinct Rydberg-ground molecular signals, deep and shallow bound molecules, are observed at the red detuning of atomic line. In theory, the model of scattering interaction between the Rydberg electron and ground-state atom is used to simulate the experiments. Two potential energy curves with energy minimum, deep pure triplet 3 Σ and shallow hyperfine-mixed singlet-triplet 1,3 Σ potentials, refer to the attained Rydberg-ground molecular signals, respectively. Calculations of the binding energy of triplet 3 Σ and mixed 1,3 Σv = 0 states are compared with the measurements. The agreement between the calculated and measured values of the binding energy yields zero-energy scattering lengths a s T (0) = -19.2a 0 and a s S (0) = -1.3a 0 , respectively.