LASER MODIFICATION OF ULTRACOLD COLLISIONS - EXPERIMENT

Julienne recently predicted a dramatic laser-intensity-dependent modification of the associative ionization (AI) rate in ultracold collisions. We observe such a modification, but with a behavior inconsistent with the originally proposed mechanism. Furthermore, we find resonant structure in the spectrum of AI rate versus laser frequency, showing the importance of molecular bound states in the AI process. These observations are explained in a new theoretical treatment by Julienne and Heather (preceding Letter).