Metastable feshbach molecules in high rotational states

We experimentally demonstrate Cs2 Feshbach molecules well above the dissociation threshold, which are stable against spontaneous decay on the time scale of 1s. An optically trapped sample of ultracold dimers is prepared in a high rotational state and magnetically tuned into a region with a negative binding energy. The metastable character of these molecules arises from the large centrifugal barrier in combination with negligible coupling to states with low rotational angular momentum. A sharp onset of dissociation with increasing magnetic field is mediated by a crossing with a lower rotational dimer state and facilitates dissociation on demand with a well-defined energy.