Optical Magnetic Double Resonance Control of Atom-Molecule Composition of Metal Vapors

Optical orientation of Na atoms in a metal vapor with circularly polarized D₁ resonance radiation results in a shift in the 2Na↔Na₂ gas phase equilibrium in the direction that destroys dimers. Plane polarized D₁ or D₂ resonance radiation produces the opposite effect: an increase in equilibrium dimer density. The atom-dimer reaction can be controlled to favor either products or reactants by simply changing the polarization of the resonance light. Application of a radio-frequency field at the Na atomic Zeeman resonance frequency while optically pumping the atoms with circularly polarized D₁ radiation also permits a magnetic resonance tuning control of either an increase or decrease in dimer density.