Measurement of the photoionization cross section of the (2p) (3p) 5 D33 state of neon

Abstract

We report a new measurement of the photoionization cross section for the (2p) (3p) 5 D33 state of neon at the wavelengths of 351 and 364 nm. These data were obtained by monitoring the decay of the fluorescence of atoms trapped in a magneto-optical atom trap under the presence of a photoionizing laser, a technique developed by Dinneen [Opt. Lett. 17, 1706 (1992)]. We obtain absolute photoionization cross sections of 2.05±0.25à 10â 18 cm2 at Î≫=351 nm and 2.15±0.25à 10â 18 cm2 at Î≫=364 nm, an improvement in accuracy of a factor of 4 over previously published values. These new values are not consistent with published theoretical data. © 2006 The American Physical Society.