Ultracold photoassociative ionization collisions in an atomic beam: Optical field intensity and polarization dependence of the rate constant

Journal Article · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1995 · Physical Review A; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.51.R18· OSTI ID:6713675

Tsao, C; Napolitano, R; Wang, Y; Weiner, J ^[1]

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1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 (United States)

We report here measurements of two-body photoassociative ionization collisions between sodium atoms within an ultranarrow velocity class selected from a well-collimated, thermal atomic beam. Doppler-shifted excitation of the Na(3[ital s] [sup 2][ital S][sub 1/2];[ital F]=1)[r arrow]Na(5[ital p] [sup 2][ital P][sub 3/2]) transition at 285 nm by a single-mode laser defines the narrow velocity class that subsequently populates the [ital F]=2 hyperfine level of the Na ground state by optical pumping. Probe laser beam excitation tuned near the Na(3[ital s] [sup 2][ital S][sub 1/2];[ital F]=2)[r arrow]Na(3[ital p] [sup 2][ital P][sub 3/2];[ital F]=3) transition produced photoassociative ionization with an average collision energy [ital E][sub [ital K]] corresponding to a temperature of 5.3 mK ([ital E][sub [ital K]]=3/2[ital kT]). We determine the rate constant for the process as a function of probe beam intensity and polarization.

• OSTI ID: 6713675
• Journal Information: Physical Review A; (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review A; (United States) Vol. 51:1; ISSN 1050-2947; ISSN PLRAAN
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

664200* -- Spectra of Atoms & Molecules & their Interactions with Photons-- (1992-)
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ALKALI METALS
ATOM COLLISIONS
ATOMIC BEAMS
BEAMS
COLLISIONS
COOLING
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
EXCITED STATES
IONIZATION
LASER RADIATION
METALS
OPTICAL PUMPING
PHOTOIONIZATION
PHOTON COLLISIONS
PHOTON-ATOM COLLISIONS
POLARIZATION
PUMPING
RADIATIONS
SODIUM
TEMPERATURE RANGE
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0000-0013 K