Photoassociation spectroscopy of ultracold highly excited NaCs molecules

We report on our spectroscopic investigations of translationally ultracold NaCs molecules. Photoassociation from laser cooled mixtures of ground state sodium and excited cesium atoms creates molecules in excited states detuned from the Na(3s) + Cs(6d) dissociation asymptote. This is an as yet unexplored asymptote for molecule formation. We infer properties of the scattering wave from the PA spectra, and investigate the populated ground states using photoionization and depletion spectroscopy.