Alternate technique for simultaneous measurement of photoionization cross-section of isotopes by TOF mass spectrometer

New measurements of photoionization cross-sections of the lithium isotopes are reported employing a Time of Flight (TOF) mass spectrometer in conjunction with an atomic beam apparatus. Using a two-step selective photoionization and saturation technique, we have simultaneously measured the photoionization cross-section of the 2p excited state of both the isotopes Li⁶ and Li⁷ as 15±2.5 Mb and 18 ±2.5 Mb where as the corresponding number densities have been determined as N₀≈5.3×10¹⁰ atoms/cm³ and N₀≈6.2×10¹¹ atoms/cm³ respectively.     

Photoionization cross section and oscillator strength distribution in the near-threshold region of strontium

We present experimentally measured absolute values of the photoionization cross sections from the 5s5p ¹P₁ and 5s5p ³P₁ excited states of strontium at the first ionization threshold as 11.4±1.8 Mb and 10.7±1.7 Mb respectively using saturated absorption technique along with a thermionic diode ion detector in conjunction with a Nd:YAG pumped dye laser system. These threshold photoionization cross sections values have been utilized to determine the oscillator strengths of the 5s5p ¹P₁↦5snd ¹D₂ and 5s5p ³P₁↦5snd ³D₂ Rydberg transitions. The oscillator strength densities in the continuum corresponding to the 5s5p ³P₁ excited state have also been determined by measuring the photoionization cross sections at five ionizing wavelengths above the first ionization threshold. Smooth merging of the discrete f-values into the oscillator strength densities has been observed for the 5s5p ³P₁↦5snd ³D₂ series across the ionization threshold.     

Photoionization cross sections and oscillator strengths of neutral cesium

The absolute photoionization cross sections from the 6p ²P_1/2 excited state of cesium at threshold and above the threshold region have been measured using the saturation absorption technique. The photoionization cross section at the ionization threshold is determined as 22.6±3.6 Mb, whereas in the region above threshold its value ranges from 22 to 20 Mb for photoelectron energies up to 0.1 eV. A comparison of the photoionization cross sections with earlier reported theoretical and experimental data have been presented and are in good agreement within the uncertainty. In addition, the oscillator strengths of the 6p ²P_1/2→n d ²D_3/2 (21≤n≤60) Rydberg transitions of cesium have been calibrated using the threshold value of the photoionization cross section. A complete picture of the oscillator strengths from the present work and previously reported data from n=5–60 is presented.     

Measurements of photoionization cross sections from the 4p, 5d and 7s excited states of potassium

New measurements of the photoionization cross sections from the 4p ²P_1/2,3/2, 5d ²D_5/2,3/2 and 7s ²S_1/2 excited states of potassium are presented. The cross sections have been measured by two-step excitation and ionization using a Nd:YAG laser in conjunction with a thermionic diode ion detector. By applying the saturation technique, the absolute values of the cross sections from the 4p ²P_3/2 and 4p ²P_1/2 states at 355 nm are determined as 7.2±1.1 and 5.6±0.8 Mb, respectively. The photoionization cross section from the 5d ²D_5/2,3/2 excited state has been measured using two excitation paths, two-step excitation and two-photon excitation from the ground state. The measured values of the cross sections from the 5d ²D_5/2 state by two-photon excitation from the ground state is 28.9±4.3 Mb, whereas in the two-step excitation, the cross section from the 5d ²D_3/2 state via the 4p ²P_1/2 state and from the 5d ²D_5/2,3/2 states via the 4p ²P_3/2 state are determined as 25.1±3.8 and 30.2±4.5 Mb, respectively. Besides, we have measured the photoionization cross sections from the 7s ²S_1/2 excited state using the two-photon excitation from the ground state as 0.61±0.09 Mb.     

Measurement of the photoionization cross-section of the 3p 2P1/2, 3/2 excited levels of sodium

The photoionization cross-section and number density of the 3p ²P_1/2,3/2 excited levels of sodium have been measured as a function of the laser energy using two-step laser excitation in conjunction with a thermionic diode working in the space charge limited mode. Employing the saturation technique, the cross-sections for the 3p ²P_1/2 and 3p ²P_3/2 levels are determined as 2.16 (43) Mb and 3.74 (74) Mb respectively.     

Laser cooling of Cd<Superscript>+</Superscript> ions using a microwave transition as a repumping process

Cadmium ions trapped in a linear Paul trap have been laser cooled by use of a microwave transition as a repumping process. A 15.2-GHz microwave transition between a ground-state hyperfine splitting is used for repumping, while an all-solid-state laser with the wavelength of 214 nm drives the cooling transition between the ² S _1/2 and ² P _3/2 states. A phase transition from the cloud state to the crystal state of trapped ions has been observed both in fluorescence spectra and in images of an ion string. Cadmium ions have potential of application for quantum information processing where the ground-state microwave transition is used for both a repumping process and manipulation of quantum states of trapped ions. PACS 32.80.Pj     

Photoionization cross-section measurements from the 2p, 3d and 3s excited states of lithium

The photoionization cross-sections from the 2p²P_{1/2, 3/2}, 3d²D_{3/2, 5/2} and 3s²S_1/2 excited states of lithium have been measured at different ionizing laser wavelengths, above the first ionization threshold. The experiments are performed by using a thermionic diode working in the space charge limited mode and the cross-sections are measured by employing the saturation technique. By changing the ionization photon energy, a smooth frequency dependence of the cross-sections has been observed for the 2p and 3d states. The cross-section from the 3s excited state has been measured at a single photon energy. The measured values of the photoionization cross are compared with the available data.     

The ground state and doubly-excited <Superscript>1,3</Superscript>P° states of hot-dense plasma-embedded Li<Superscript>+</Superscript> ions

We have investigated the ground state and the doubly excited ^1,3P^○ resonance states of plasma-embedded Li⁺ ion. The plasma effect is taken care of by using a screened Coulomb potential obtained from the Debye model. A correlated wave function has been used to represent the correlation effect between the charged particles. The ground state of Li⁺ in plasmas for different screening parameters has been estimated in the framework of Rayleigh-Ritz variational principle. In addition, a total of 18 resonances (9 each for ¹P^○ and ³P^○ states) below the n=2 Li⁺ thresholds has been estimated by calculating the density of states using the stabilization method. For each spin state, this includes four members in the 2snp₊ (2≤n ≤5) series, three members in the 2snp_- (3≤n ≤5) series, and two members in the 2pnd (n=3, 4) series. The resonance energies and widths for various Debye parameters ranging from infinity to a small value for these ^1,3P^○ resonance states along with the ground state energies of Li⁺ and the Li²⁺ (1S), Li²⁺ (2S) threshold energies are reported. Furthermore, the wavelengths for the photo-absorption of lithium ion from its ground state to such ¹P^○ resonance states for different Debye lengths are also reported.     

Heavy lithium isotope <Superscript>11,12</Superscript>Li production in pion absorption reactions on a <Superscript>14</Superscript>C radioactive target

The results from an experimental search for the production of heavy lithium isotopes ^11,12Li in stopped π⁻-meson absorption reactions on a ¹⁴C radioactive target are presented. A pronounced peak is observed in the missing mass spectrum of the ¹⁴C(π⁻, pp)X reaction, which is associated with the formation of a nucleon-unstable ¹²Li state with the following resonance parameters: E _R = 4.0 ± 0.2 MeV and Γ = 1.1 ± 0.2 MeV. Resonance parameters of three low-lying ¹¹Li excited states were determined in the ¹⁴C(π⁻, pd)X, reaction.     

Kinetics of Rb<Stack><Subscript>2</Subscript><Superscript>+</Superscript></Stack> and Rb<Superscript>+</Superscript> formation in laser-excited rubidium vapor

We have studied the formation of the molecular ion Rb₂⁺ and the atomic ion Rb⁺. These are created in laser excited rubidium vapor at the first resonance, 5s–5p and 5p-nl transitions. A theoretical model is applied to this interaction to explain the time evolution and the laser-power dependence of the population density of Rb⁺ and Rb₂⁺. A set of rate equations which describe: the temporal variation of the population density of the excited states; the atomic ion density; and the electron density, were solved numerically under the experimental conditions of Barbier and Cheret. In their experiment the Rb concentration was 1×10¹³cm⁻³ and the laser power was taken to be 50–500 mW at vapor temperature = 450 K. The results showed that the main processes for producing Rb₂⁺ are associative ionization and Hornbeck-Molnar ionization. The calculations have also showed that, the atomic ions Rb⁺ are formed through the Penning Ionization (PI) and photoionization processes. Moreover, a reasonable agreement between the experimental results and our calculations for the ion currents of the Rb⁺ and Rb₂⁺ is obtained.      

Photodesorption of O<Subscript>2</Subscript> from Ag<Subscript>2</Subscript><Superscript>-</Superscript>: A time-resolved study of Ag<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript><Superscript>-</Superscript>

We present time-resolved photoelectron spectra of mass-selected Ag₂O₂ anions. The anions are photoexcited by photons with an energy of 3.1 eV, and photoelectron spectra of the excited species Ag₂O₂ ^{- *} and the subsequently appearing fragments are recorded using a probe laser pulse with a photon energy of 1.5 eV. The excited state of Ag₂O₂ ^- has a short lifetime of 130 fs±70 fs only and decays by direct photodesorption of O₂. The data demonstrate the ability of time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (TR-PES) to observe the breaking of chemical bonds if the decay process of the excited state is direct (non-thermal desorption). The data are compared to recent results of a NeNePo experiment [1] on the same system. PACS 68.43.Tj; 78.47.+p; 33.80.Eh; 36.40.-c     

Luminescence and electronic excitations in Li<Subscript>6</Subscript>Gd(BO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>3</Subscript>: Ce<Superscript>3+</Superscript> crystals

This paper reports on a study of the luminescence emitted by Li₆Gd(BO₃)₃: Ce³⁺ crystals under selective photoexcitation to lower excited states of the host ion Gd³⁺ and impurity ion Ce³⁺ within the 100–500-K temperature interval, where the mechanisms of migration and relaxation of electronic excitation energy have been shown to undergo noticeable changes. The monotonic 10–15-fold increase in intensity of the luminescence band at 3.97 eV has been explained within a model describing two competing processes, namely, migration of electronic excitation energy over chains of Gd³⁺ ions and vibrational energy relaxation between the ⁶ I _j and ⁶ P _j levels. It has been shown that radiative transitions in Ce³⁺ ions from the lower excited state 5d ¹ to ² F _5/2 and ² F _7/2 levels of the ground state produce two photoluminescence bands, at 2.08 and 2.38 eV (Ce1 center) and 2.88 and 3.13 eV (Ce2 center). Possible models of the Ce1 and Ce2 luminescence centers have been discussed.     

Theoretical study of photoionization of the isoelectronic sequence Rb<Superscript>+</Superscript>, Sr<Superscript>2+</Superscript>, and Y<Superscript>3+</Superscript>

The photoionization cross sections for the 4p shell of ions of the Kr isoelectronic sequence Rb⁺, Sr²⁺, and Y³⁺ are calculated. The configuration interaction theory and the perturbation theory are used to describe the many-electron effects. The relativistic effects are taken into account in the Pauli-Fock approximation. The calculated resonance structure of photoionization cross sections for the 4p shell in the region below the 4s threshold associated with the autoionization of the 4s-np singly excited states and the 4p4p-nln′l′ doubly excited states reproduces the results of recent measurements of total photoabsorption cross sections for the Rb⁺, Sr²⁺, and Y³⁺ ions. It is found that, as the nuclear charge in the isoelectronic sequence increases, the ratio between the direct and correlation parts of amplitudes of the 4s-(n/?)p transition changes and, as the consequence, the minimum of the photoionization cross section of the 4s shell shifts from the continuous spectrum to the region of states of discrete spectrum. This accounts for the strong changes in the shape of the 4s-np resonances in the photoionization cross sections for the 4p shell of Rb⁺, Sr²⁺, and Y³⁺, as well as the distinction between the shapes of the 4s-6p _1/2 mirror resonance in the partial 4p _1/2 and 4p _3/2 photoionization cross sections for the Y³⁺ ion which do not suppress each other in the total photoionization cross section, as is the case for similar resonances in Rb⁺ and Sr²⁺.     

Double-beta decay of <Superscript>100</Superscript>Mo to 0<Superscript>+</Superscript> excited states in <Superscript>100</Superscript>Ru

A brief review on the 2νββ decay of ¹⁰⁰Mo to the 0⁺ excited state in ¹⁰⁰Ru is performed. A weighted-average half-life value for the decay has been obtained, T_1/2 = (6.8 ± 1.2) × 10²⁰ yr. The corresponding average value for the nuclear matrix element was extracted, 0.095 ± 0.009.     

Loading rate of Yb<Superscript>+</Superscript> loaded through photoionization in radiofrequency ion trap

We investigate the loading rate of Yb⁺ ions loaded through photoionization in a radiofrequency trap. The absolute or relative number of the loaded trapped ions is measured by use of an electric resonance of the secular motion. This method is applicable even in the presence of anharmonicity. In two-color photoionization, where the first-excitation laser drives the ¹S₀–¹P₁ transition in the Yb atom and the second one ionizes the atom from the ¹P₁ state, the loading rate is at its highest by the excitation of the ionization potential. A similar loading rate is observed at the second-laser wavelength around 369.5 nm, which is the wavelength for the cooling transition of Yb⁺. We estimate the loading cross section to be 40(15) Mb for the two-color excitation of the ionization potential. The excitation of the Yb atoms in the Rydberg states is detected by the enhancement of the loading rate. By irradiation with only the first-excitation laser, Yb⁺ is produced at a rate three orders of magnitude smaller than that when the non-resonant two-photon absorption from the ¹P₁ state is the dominant process. We also measure the charge-exchange rate between Yb⁺ and Yb, and discuss its effect on isotope-selective photoionization loading.     

Super-allowed α decay above doubly-magic <Superscript>100</Superscript>Sn and properties of <Superscript>104</Superscript>Te = <Superscript>100</Superscript>Sn ⊗ α

α-decay half-lives for ^{104, 105, 106}Te and ^{108, 109, 110}Xe close above the doubly-magic ¹⁰⁰Sn are calculated from systematic double-folding potentials. The derived α preformation factors are compared to results for ^{212, 213, 214}Po and ^{216, 217, 218}Rn above the doubly-magic ²⁰⁸Pb. α-decay energies of Q _α = 5.42±0.07MeV and 4.65±0.15MeV are predicted for ¹⁰⁴Te and ¹⁰⁸Xe; the corresponding half-lives are T _1/2 ≈ 5ns for ¹⁰⁴Te and of the order of 60μs for ¹⁰⁸Xe. Additionally, the properties of rotational bands in ¹⁰⁴Te are analyzed, and the first excited 2⁺ state in ¹⁰⁴Te is predicted at E _x = 650±40keV; it decays preferentially by γ emission with a reduced transition strength of 10 Weisskopf units to the ground state of ¹⁰⁴Te and with a minor branch by α emission to the ground state of ¹⁰⁰Sn.     

New results from the HAPPEX Experiments at Q<Superscript>2</Superscript> = 0.1GeV/c<Superscript>2</Superscript>

The nucleon's strange electric and magnetic form factors G _E ^s and G _M ^s can be probed via parity-violating electron scattering. The HAPPEX Collaboration has made new measurements of the parity-violating asymmetry A _PV in elastic scattering of 3GeV electrons off hydrogen and ⁴He targets with 〈θ_lab〉 ≈ 6.0^° . For ⁴He the preliminary result is A _PV = (+ 6.43±0.23(stat)±0.22(syst))×10^-6 . For hydrogen the preliminary result is A _PV = (- 1.60±0.12(stat)±0.05(syst))×10^-6 . From these values we extract G ^s _E = 0.004±0.014±0.013 at 〈Q ²〉 = 0.077 GeV/c^2 , and G ^s _E +0.09G ^s _M = 0.004±0.011±0.005 at 〈Q ²〉 = 0.109 GeV/c^2 , both consistent with zero, providing stringent new limits on the role of strange quarks in the vector structure of the nucleon.     

Doubly excited 2s2p 1,3P1 resonances in photoionization of helium

The multi-configuration Dirac-Fock（MCDF） method is implemented to study doubly excited 2s2p ^1,3P₁ resonances of the helium atom and the interference between photoionization and photoexcitation autoionization processes.In order to reproduce the total photoionization sprectra,the excited energies from the ground 1s^{2 1}S₀ state to the doubly excited 2s2p ^1,3P₁ states and the relevant Auger decay rates and widths are calculated in detail.Furthermore,the interference profile determined by the so-called Fano parameters q and ρ² is also reproduced.Good agreement is found between the present results and other available theoretical and experimental results.This indeed shows a promising way to investigate the Fano resonances in photoionization of atoms within the MCDF scheme,although there are some discrepancies in the present calculations of the 2s2p ³P₁ state.     

Nonlinear optical properties of Cr<Superscript>3+</Superscript>-doped laser crystals

The nonlinear optical properties in six Cr³⁺-doped laser crystals LiCaAlF₆, LiSrGaAlF₆, Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂, Gd₃Sc₂Ga₃O₁₂, LaMgAl₁₁O₁₉ and Alexandrite are investigated with the help of the Z-Scan technique at λ = 532 nm in the CW regime. The data reported here include particularly the excited state absorption cross section and the third-order nonlinear susceptibilities. It is found that the three first systems only exhibit both refractive and absorptive nonlinear effects, whereas the three others have only absorptive effects. Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂ shows the best nonlinear potentialities. The excited state absorption cross section corresponding mainly to the ⁴T₂ →   ⁴T₁ transition is found to be ranging between 8.9 × 10⁻²² cm² in LiSGaF and 3.1 × 10⁻²⁰ cm² in LaMgAl₁₁O₁₉. The calculated ratio of the third order nonlinear susceptibility to the ground state absorption coefficient is found to be largest in GGG with a value of 146 × 10⁻⁶ esu.cm and smallest in Alexandrite (0.6 × 10⁻⁶ esu.cm).     

Double-beta decay of <Superscript>150</Superscript>Nd to the first 0<Superscript>+</Superscript> excited state of <Superscript>150</Superscript> Sm: Current state

Two-neutrino double-beta decay of ¹⁵⁰Nd to the first 0⁺ excited state in ¹⁵⁰Sm is investigated with the 400-cm³ low-background HPGe detector. Preliminary data analysis for 6843 h shows an excess of events at 333.9 and 406.5 keV. If this excess is assigned to the investigated transition, then its half-life can be estimated at [1.2 _?0.3 ^+0.5 ±0.4(syst.)]×10²⁰ yr.