High-efficiency Zn isotope separation in a photochemical reaction induced by two-photon excitation

High-efficiency laser isotope separation was accomplished for zinc atoms in the situation when isotope shifts are much smaller than the Doppler width. The atoms were excited via two-photon absorption of two counter-propagating waves slightly detuned from the intermediate state, so that all “0requisite” atoms were excited. The isotope separation results from a photochemical reaction between the selectively excited zinc isotope and the CO₂ molecules. The reaction rate is 3–5 orders of magnitude higher than for the unexcited atoms. The mechanisms of two-photon resonance line broadening are considered both theoretically and experimentally, and the possibilities of the method for obtaining isotopes in quantitative yields are estimated.