Triplet-singlet conversion in ultracold Cs{sub 2} and production of ground-state molecules

We propose a process to convert ultracold metastable Cs{sub 2} molecules in their lowest triplet state into (singlet) ground-state molecules in their lowest vibrational levels. Molecules are first pumped into an excited triplet state, and the triplet-singlet conversion is facilitated by a two-step spontaneous decay through the coupled A {sup 1{Sigma}}{sub u}{sup +}-b {sup 3{Pi}}{sub u} states. Using spectroscopic data and accurate quantum chemistry calculations for Cs{sub 2} potential curves and transition dipole moments, we show that this process competes favorably with the single-photon decay back to the lowest triplet state. In addition, we demonstrate that this conversion process represents a loss channel for vibrational cooling of metastable triplet molecules, preventing an efficient optical pumping cycle down to low vibrational levels.