Ion beam generation by field ionization of laser-excited Rydberg atoms
Abstract
Sodium atoms (108-1011 cm-3) effused from an oven where excited by two pulsed dye lasers (∼8-15 ns, ∼100 μJ) from the ground state 3s, via an intermediate state 3p, to a Rydberg state ns or nd (20≤n≤25). About 50 ns after the laser irradiation, a pulsed electric field (0.5-5.5 kV/cm) was applied to the Rydberg atoms to ionize them and accelerate the resulting ions. Thus, a pulsed ion beam was obtained with a maximum total electric charge of ∼5 pC, corresponding to a peak current of ∼25 μA with an output pulse of ∼200 ns full width at half-maximum.
- Publication:
-
Applied Physics Letters
- Pub Date:
- January 1987
- DOI:
- 10.1063/1.97876
- Bibcode:
- 1987ApPhL..50...71O
- Keywords:
-
- Dye Lasers;
- Ion Beams;
- Ionization;
- Laser Applications;
- Rydberg Series;
- Tunable Lasers;
- Crystal Growth;
- Doped Crystals;
- Excimer Lasers;
- Laser Pumping;
- Pulsed Lasers;
- Sodium;
- Atomic and Molecular Physics