Cold Binary Atomic Collisions in a Light Field

摘要

The rate coefficients are calculated for trap loss due to excited state formation during s-wave collisions of two atoms in a light field in a cold atomic gas near conditions for formation of a Bose-Einstein condensate. Blue detuning from the allowed atomic resonance transition causes excitation of a replusive molecular potential, whereas red detuning causes excitation when the light is tuned near a bound vibrational energy level of an attractive molecular potential. In either case, when the light intensity is low and the detuning is large compared to the natural linewidth of the atomic transition, the rate coefficient for the collisional loss rate is proportional to a molecular Franck-Condon factor. A simple reflection approximation formula is derived which permits the rate coefficient to be given analytically in either case. The Franck-Condon factor is equal to.