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Recombination Fluorescence in Ultracold Neutral Plasmas

Journal Article · · Physical Review Letters
 [1];  [2]
  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602 (United States)
  2. Department of Physics, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849 (United States)
We present the first measurements and simulations of recombination fluorescence from ultracold neutral calcium plasmas. This method probes three-body recombination at times less than 1 {mu}s, shorter than previously published time scales. For the lowest initial electron temperatures, the recombination rate scales with the density as n{sub 0}{sup 2.2}, significantly slower than the predicted n{sub 0}{sup 3}. Recombination fluorescence opens a new diagnostic window in ultracold plasmas. In most cases it probes deeply bound level populations that depend critically on electron energetics. However, a perturbation in the calcium 4snd Rydberg series allows our fluorescence measurements to probe the population in weakly bound levels that result just after recombination.
OSTI ID:
21134133
Journal Information:
Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 101; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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