Photoassociative molecular spectroscopy for atomic radiative lifetimes

When the atoms of a dimer remain most of the time very far apart, in so-called longrange molecular states, their mutual interaction is ruled by plain atomic properties. The highresolution spectroscopic study of some molecular excited states populated by photoassociation of cold atoms (photoassociative spectroscopy) gives a good illustration of this property. It provides accurate determinations of atomic radiative lifetimes, which are known to be sensitive tests for atomic calculations. A number of such analyses has been performed up to now, for all stable alkali atoms and for some other atomic species (Ca, Sr, Yb). A systematic review of these determinations is attempted here, with special attention paid to accuracy issues.