Investigations on laser plasma soft X-ray sources generated with low energy laser systems

Spectra of laser-induced plasmas at low laser energies and intensities (around 100 mJ and 10¹⁰ W cm^–2 respectively) have been recorded in the spectral range of 20 to 100 nm for different target materials, laser intensities at the target and laser wavelengths. For heavy target materials, a broadband spectrum with a spectral maximum typically around 30 nm is obtained. This broadband radiation source is well suited for photoionization processes and the generation of short wavelength inner-shell photoionization lasers. For the cadmium-photoionization laser, the influence of different soft X-ray spectra on the laser energy has been investigated. The potential of laser plasma soft X-ray sources for scientific and technical applications is briefly reviewed.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Herbert Welling on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Two-step single-colour photoionization spectroscopy of atomic uranium

The single-colour photoionization spectrum of atomic uranium is recorded in the spectral region from 366 to 371 nm. Most of the 43 observed resonances are found to be associated with the two-step photoionization process. Based on known energy levels seven new transitions have been proposed. Three of these transitions originate either from the ground state or the lowest metastable state at 620 cm^–1.     

Investigation of photoplasma that is configured in an electrostatic extractor having high-temperature electrodes

In the present work we report the investigation of photoplasma in a high temperature electrostatic extractor. The extractor can operate at temperatures ~900 K, at electric field ~200 V/cm and in an environment where there is metal vapor and photon flux. It is used concurrently with another vapor generating furnace that is placed below it. It is observed that for operation over long duration (~5 h) barium atoms from the vapor-producing furnace coat the electrodes. They are re-evaporated from the hot electrodes thereby forming a collision-less vapor cell between them. Multi-step, multi-wavelength resonant ionization process using lasers produce photoplasma in the cell. Thermionic emission from barium coated hot electrodes provides the seed current flux for electron-impact ionization of the atoms in the cell. The ionized background plasma provides a steady state current between the electrodes. The transient photoplasma motion is superimposed on it. The photoions decay as the ions are collected. The Bohm current and current due to sheath boundary motion determines their evolution.     

Laser photoionization detection of the rare isotope3He

Based on combination of the two-step collinear isotope-selective photoionization and time-of-flight separation of atoms in a fast modulated beam, a new technique has been developed for detecting the³He rare isotope with an isotopic selectivity of up to 10¹⁰. The technique helped to detect optically, for the first time,³He at a relative abundance of 4·10^–8.     

Laser resonance external photoelectric effect in F 2 − color centers of LiF crystals

The laser-resonance two-step external photoelectric effect is revealed in the F ₂ ^– color centers of LiF crystals exposed to nanosecond laser pulses. The first photoionization step uses IR radiation tunable within the resonance absorption band of the color centers and the second step the second harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser. The photoionization cross sections of the F ₂ ^– centers are estimated.     

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.     

Laser isotope separation of titanium by two-step photoionization

Titanium isotopes were selectively excited and photoionized using a two-step photoionization method, and the isotope separation was demonstrated, in which a separation factor of around 15 for⁵⁰Ti was obtained. Spectroscopic parameters such as isotope shifts, photo-ionization cross section and excited state lifetimes were also measured. Isotope shifts up to 0.92 GHz were obtained for the transitions between 0 and 19938 cm^–1 or between 170 and 20006 cm^–1 among five isotopes. The cross section is 7.4×10^–17 cm² for the photo-ionization. The excited state lifetimes are 330±20 ns for 19938 cm^–1, 260±15 ns for 20006 cm^–1 and 250±15 ns for 20126 cm^–1.     

Transient photocurrents in UV-irradiated polytetrafluoroethylene coronoelectrets

It is experimentally found that UV irradiation of 10-m polytetrafluoroethylene films electrified in a negative corona discharge produces a transient current which is unipolar and whose peak value decreases in successive exposures. A model is considered on the basis of spatial impurity-center photoionization and the resultant positive-carrier motion, excluding recapture and recombination, in the strong internal field generated by trapped negative charges. Correlation of the experimental and calculated photocurrent kinetics yield values for the hole mobility (8.9×10^–15 m²·V^–1·sec^–1) and impurity-center concentration (1.5×10¹⁸ m^–3).Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 6, pp. 26–29, June, 1990.     

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.     

Saturation of ionization edge absorption by donors in germanium

A study of saturation of the absorption and photoconductivity of Sb and P donors in Ge for radiation of 90 m wavelength, i.e., of energy very closely above their ionization edges is presented at T=9.3 K. Under these conditions negligible heating by the excess radiation energy is expected, which provides a convenient opportunity to study the kinetics of photoionization and recombination. From these measurements we have determined the donor capture cross section of electrons at 9.3 K to be _c=(1.2±0.7)×10^–12cm^–2, and the relaxation time from the 2s to the ground state as ₂₁=(5.8±1.0)×10^–10s. The saturation intensity of the absorption coefficient is around three orders of magnitude higher than the saturation intensity of the photoconductivity. We explain the nonlinear photoconductivity by the Debye-Conwell dependence of the mobility on the number of photoionized donors and compensating acceptors.     

Absorption of subpicosecond ultraviolet laser pulses in high-density plasma

The absorption of 250 fs KrF laser pulses incident on solid targets of aluminum, copper and gold has been measured for normal incidence as a function of laser intensity in the range of 10¹²–10¹⁴ W cm^–2 and as a function of polarization and angle of incidence for the intensity range of 10¹⁴–2.5×10¹⁵ W cm^–2. As the intensity increases from 10¹² W cm^–2 the reflectivity at normal incidence changes from the low-intensity mirror reflectivity value to values in the range of 0.5–0.61 at 10¹⁴ W cm^–2. For this intensity maximum absorption of 63–80% has been observed for p-polarized radiation at angles of incidence in the range of 54°–57°, increasing with atomic number. The results are compared with the expected Fresnel reflectivity from a sharp vacuum-plasma interface with the refractive index given by the Drude model and also to numerical calculations of reflectivity for various scale length density profiles. Qualitative agreement is found with the Fresnel/Drude model and quantitative agreement is noticed with the numerical calculations of absorption on a steep density profile with normalized collision frequencies, v/, in the range of 0.13–0.15 at critical density and normalized density gradient scale lengths, L/₀, in the range of 0.018–0.053 for a laser intensity of 10¹⁴ W cm^–2.At 2.5×10¹⁵ W cm^–2 a small amount of preplasma is present and maximum absorption of 64–76% has been observed for p-polarized radiation at angles of incidence in the range of 45°–50°.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Rudolf Wienecke on the occasion of his 65^th birthdayOn leave from: Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2G7, Canada     

Photoionization mass-spectrometry of benzene and benzaldehyde molecules with an excimer KrF laser

A laser photoionization time-of-flight mass-spectrometer has been developed and used to investigate the photoionization and photofragmentation of benzene and benzaldehyde molecules by an excimer KrF laser radiation at the wavelength of 249 nm in the intensity range from 5·10⁴ to 5·10⁹ W/cm². It has been found that at low laser intensity ions formed by two-step photoionization are most abundant in mass spectra. By increasing laser intensity an extensive fragmentation of molecules, up to C⁺ ions, was observed. The maximum ionization yield of benzaldehyde comes to 0.1% of the number of molecules in the photoionization volume and, according to calculations, to 10% for benzene molecules, when the radiation intensity is 5·10⁹ W/cm².     

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.     

Drift theory of charged-particle motion for a strong electric field in a weakly relativistic approximation

Drift equations of motion are derived for a charged particle in the case of a strong electric field with allowance for relativistic effects of order v²/c². The role of these effects is discussed along with the effects of a high-frequency field. The cases of weak and strong electric fields are distinguished [2] in the drift theory of the motion of charged particles in weakly inhomogeneous magnetic and electric fields. In the case of a weak electric field, the electric-drift velocity is v_E v, where v is the characteristic velocity of the particle. For a strong electric field,v _Ev.The drift theory has now been reasonably well developed for the case of weak electric fields in the classical and relativistic cases, for the absence of high-frequency fields and for the presence of these [1–3], Extension of the theory to strong electric fields involves considerable mathematical difficulties, and this has been done only in the classical approximation with and without hf fields [2–4], Here we consider the drift theory of charged-particle motion for the case of a strong electric field in the weakly relativistic approximation, incorporating terms of order v²/c², where c is the velocity of light. Also hf fields may be present.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 9, pp. 7–9, September, 1981.     

State selective step-wise photoionization of NO with mass spectroscopic ion detection

State and isotope selective two-step photoionization of NO with mass spectroscopic ion detection has been demonstrated and investigated. Using saturation condition the photoionization cross section for a single rotational level of the intermediate state, No(A ²Σ⁺, ν′=0), has been measured: σ_i=(7.0±0.9) X 10⁻¹⁹ cm². The charge transfer¹⁵NO⁺+¹⁴NO→¹⁵NO+¹⁴NO⁺ has been observed and investigated, yielding a cross section of the order of 13×10⁻¹⁶ cm², consistent with recent measurements at about 1 eV.     

Impurity-related polarizability and photoionization-cross section in double quantum wells under electric fields and hydrostatic pressure

Double quantum well heterostructures are quite important for the exploration of correlated electron states in two-dimensional systems. By using the variational procedure, within the effective-mass and parabolic-band approximations, the effects of both electric field and hydrostatic pressure on the shallow-donor-impurity related polarizability and photoionization cross-section in GaAs–Ga_1−xAl_xAs double asymmetric quantum wells are presented. The electric field is considered to be applied along the growth direction. It is found that the impurity binding energy and polarizability can be tuned by means of an applied external electric field or hydrostatic pressure in asymmetric double quantum wells, a behavior which could be used in the design and construction of semiconductor devices. The photoionization cross-section magnitude increases as the pressure and applied electric field are increased, except beyond the Γ–X crossover in the barrier material, where a decrease of the photoionization cross-section is expected due the smaller confinement of the impurity wave function.     

Anti-Le-Chatelet behavior driven by strong natural light

We show that strong incoherent broad band light causes positive feedback in response to a static electric field in random media: electric current flows in opposite to a voltage drop direction; static polarization is induced in opposition to an applied electric field. This type of the electron motion amplifies the external action revealing anti-Le-Chatelet behavior. The applied static electric field is amplified up to the domain of optical damage of a silica glass ≈10⁷ V/cm.     

Trace detection of plutonium by three-step photoionization with a laser system pumped by a copper vapor laser

Laser photoionization has been used to detect trace amounts of plutonium. A high sensitivity and selectivity has been achieved by applying three-step excitation and ionization of the plutonium atoms with high pulse-repetition rates and additional mass determination by time-of-flight measurements. A laser system was developed which consists of a copper vapor laser pumping three dye lasers simultaneously. Samples containing between 10¹⁰ and 10¹² atoms of²³⁹Pu on Re filaments were measured yielding strong resonance signals with maximum ion count rates of several kHz at a vanishingly low background. A detection efficiency of 10^–7 was determined allowing the detection of about 10⁸ plutonium atoms in a sample.This work comprises part of the doctoral dissertation of W. Ruster, to be submitted to Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz     

Laser method of highly selective detection of rare radioactive isotopes through multistep photoionization of accelerated atoms

A laser detection method is proposed for ultralow abundance (<10^–10) of rare radioactive isotopes based on a multistep photoionization of accelerated atoms with a selectivity up to 10⁷ on each step of a collinear laser excitation.     

Tunneling energy levels of an off-center impurity of the hydroxyl ion in NaCl crystal

Fine structures of the vibrational spectrum of OH^– in NaCl have been investigated by their dependence on the OH^– concentration, temperature and uniaxial stress. The absorption bands of A and C at 3651. 2 and 3655.2 cm-1 are ascribed to the tunneling motion of the off-center impurity of OH^–. The stress splitting factor of the tunneling levels has been estimated to be B(S11–S12)=0.96±0.10 cm-1/10⁸ dyn cm-2 in the ground state and it is about 1.4 times larger in the vibrational excited state.