Formation of ultracold metastable Rb2 molecules in their v"=0 level by   blue-detuned photoassociation
  We report on the observation of blue-detuned photoassociation in Rb2, in which vibrational levels are energetically above the corresponding excited atomic asymptote. 85Rb atoms in a MOT were photoassociated at short internuclear distances to levels of the (1)3Pi g state at a rate of approximately 5x10^4 molecules/s. We have observed most of the predicted vibrational levels for all four spin-orbit components 0g+, 0g-, 1g, and 2g, including levels of the 0g+ outer well. These molecules decay to the metastable a3Sigma u+ state, some preferentially to the v"=0 level, as we have observed for photoassociation to the v'=8 level of the 1g component. 
M. A. Bellos, D. Rahmlow, R. Carollo, J. Banerjee, O. Dulieu, A.   Gerdes, E. E. Eyler, P. L. Gould and W. C. Stwalley
physics.atom-ph physics.chem-ph