Photoionization of Cold and Ultracold Rubidium Atoms

Photoionization of a cold atomic sample offers intriguing possibilities to observe collective effects at extremely low temperatures. Ionization of a rubidium condensate and of cold rubidium atoms in a magneto-optical/magnetic trap through 1-photon and 2-photon absorption processes has been performed. Losses of the remaining trapped cold cloud or the remaining condensate sample have been examined as a function of the ionizing laser parameters.