Spin-sensitive photoassociation in Rb-87 BEC with spin and spin-momentum superposition dressed states

We present our experimental studies of spin-sensitive photoassociation in Rb-87 F=1 spinor Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) with and without the presence of Raman light-induced mf spin coupling. Without the Raman coupling, the photoassociation transition is only allowed between two atoms of bare mf spin states (0,0) or (1,-1). Copropagating or counterpropagating Raman beams couple bare mf spin states, and can create new “dressed” eigenstates of superpositions between either just mf spin or mf spin-momentum states. We report our observations on how either type of coupling and dressed states affect the PA process.