Continuous Production of Rovibronic Ground State RbCs Molecules via Short-Range Photoassociation to the $b^3\Pi_{1}-c^3\Sigma^+_{1}-B^1\Pi_1$ States

Abstract

We have investigated rovibronic levels of the strongly mixed $b^3\Pi_1-c^3\Sigma^+_1-B^1\Pi_1$ states [the 2(1), 3(1), and 4(1) states in Hund's case (c) notation] of $^{85}$Rb$^{133}$Cs in the energy range of 13950$-$14200 cm$^{-1}$ using short-range photoassociation (PA). For selected PA states, vibrational and rotational branching in the $X^1\Sigma^+$ state have been investigated using resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization and depletion spectroscopy. Efficient production of $^{85}$Rb$^{133}$Cs molecules in the rovibronic ground state $X^1\Sigma^+ (v=0, J=0)$, at up to $\sim$1$\times 10^4$ molecules/s, has been achieved.