Thermal beam of metastable krypton atoms produced by optical excitation
- Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637 (United States)
A room-temperature beam of krypton atoms in the metastable 5s[3/2]{sub 2} level is demonstrated via an optical excitation method. A Kr-discharge lamp is used to produce vacuum ultraviolet photons at 124 nm for the first-step excitation from the ground level 4p{sup 6} {sup 1}S{sub 0} to the 5s[3/2]{sub 1} level. An 819 nm Ti:sapphire laser is used for the second-step excitation from 5s[3/2]{sub 1} to 5s[3/2]{sub 2} followed by a spontaneous decay to the 5s[3/2]{sub 2} metastable level. A metastable atomic beam with an angular flux density of 3x10{sup 14} s{sup -1} sr{sup -1} is achieved at the total gas flow rate of 0.01 cm{sup 3}/s at STP (or 3x10{sup 17} at./s). The dependences of the flux on the gas flow rate, laser power, and lamp parameters are investigated.
- OSTI ID:
- 20953250
- Journal Information:
- Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 78, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2437193; (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0034-6748
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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