Ultracold \({ }^{88}\mathrm {Sr}_2\) Molecules in the Absolute Ground State

In this chapter, I report the first creation of alkaline-earth metal molecules in their absolute ground state using the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) technique. Specifically, the molecules are coherently prepared in the energetically lowest state of their rotational, vibrational, and electronic degrees of freedom. The results are supplemented by a numerical model that successfully reproduces the salient features observed in the experiment. Ultracold collisions of strontium dimers in these deeply bound states are studied, revealing inelastic losses at the universal rate.