A Novel Technique for Atomic Lifetime Measurement
Abstract
We present a new technique for measuring atomic excited state lifetimes. Atoms in a thermal beam are excited to a desired state using a single pulse from a mode-locked Ti:Sapphire laser. A subsequent laser pulse is frequency-doubled and used to ionize any atoms remaining in the excited state, which are collected using a charged particle detector. The measurement is repeated using excitation and detection pulses that are increasingly separated in time, allowing the decay from the excited state to be determined as a function of time. We will discuss the expected systematic and statistical errors, and consider the suitability of this technique for precision measurements. Preliminary results for the 6P_3/2 state of cesium will be presented. The National Science Foundation and the United States Air Force Academy provided financial support for this work.
- Publication:
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APS Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- May 2002
- Bibcode:
- 2002APS..DMP.J6047P