Non-adiabatic molecular association in thermal gases driven by radio-frequency pulses

The molecular association process in a thermal gas of ${}^{85}$Rb is investigated where the effects of the envelope of the radio-frequency field are taken into account. For experimentally relevant parameters our analysis shows that with increasing pulse length the corresponding molecular conversion efficiency exhibits low-frequency interference fringes which are robust under thermal averaging over a wide range of temperatures. This dynamical interference phenomenon is attributed to St"uckelberg phase accumulation between the low-energy continuum states and the dressed molecular state which exhibits a shift proportional to the envelope of the radio-frequency pulse intensity.