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The Journal of Chemical Physics

Electron spin-polarized alkaline-earth ions produced by multiphoton ionization

Takashi Nakajima, Nobuaki Yonekura

Published Jul 28, 2002• 11 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We propose two realistic schemes for producing electron spin-polarized alkaline-earth ions. One of the schemes is based on one-photon resonant two-photon ionization via fine structure manifolds of triplet states, while the other is based on one-photon resonant one-photon ionization. For both schemes we find that the ionization must take place from a triplet state to produce spin-polarized photoions. Photoions produced from a singlet state are always unpolarized regardless of the laser polarization and a magnetic sublevel from which ionization takes place. We carry out specific analysis for both schemes with Sr atoms, and find 85%–90% and 66% polarizations for the former and the latter schemes, respectively, if the wavelengths and polarizations of lasers are judiciously chosen. In particular, if all the produced photoions are in the ground s state, we find an exact one-to-one correspondence between the spin-polarization of photoions and ejected photoelectrons.

DOI
10.1063/1.1490598

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We propose two realistic schemes for producing electron spin-polarized alkaline-earth ions. One of the schemes is based on one-photon resonant two-photon ionization via fine structure manifolds of triplet states, while the other is based on one-photon resonant one-photon ionization. For both schemes we find that the ionization must take place from a triplet state to produce spin-polarized photoions. Photoions produced from a singlet state are always unpolarized regardless of the laser polarization and a magnetic sublevel from which ionization takes place. We carry out specific analysis for both schemes with Sr atoms, and find 85%–90% and 66% polarizations for the former and the latter schemes, respectively, if the wavelengths and polarizations of lasers are judiciously chosen. In particular, if all the produced photoions are in the ground s state, we find an exact one-to-one correspondence between the spin-polarization of photoions and ejected photoelectrons.
We report the detailed experimental study on the production of electron-spin-polarized Sr+ ions through one-photon resonant two-photon ionization via laser-excited 5s5p 3P1 (MJ = +1) of Sr atoms produced by laser-ablation. We have experimentally confirmed that the use of laser-ablation for the production of Sr atoms prior to photoionization does not affect the electron-spin polarization. We have found that the degree of electron-spin polarization is 64+/-9%, which is in good agreement with our recent theoretical prediction. As we discuss in detail, we infer, from a simple analysis, that photoelectrons, being the counterpart of electron-spin-polarized Sr+ ions, have approximately the same degree of electron-spin polarization. Our experimental results demonstrate that the combined use of laser-ablation technique and pulsed lasers for photoionization would be a compact and effective way to realize a pulsed source for spin-polarized ions and electrons for the studies of various spin-dependent dynamics in chemical physics.
The theory of multiphoton ionization for an atomic system of arbitrary complexity is developed using a density matrix formalism. An expression is obtained which determines the differential N-photon ionization cross section as a function of the polarization states of the target atom and the incident radiation. The parameters which characterize the photo-electron angular distribution are related to the general reduced matrix elements for the N-photon transition. Two-photon ionization of unpolarized atoms is treated as an illustration of the use of the theory. The dependence of the multiphoton ionization cross section on the polarization state of the incident radiation, which has been observed in two- and three-photon ionization of Cs, is accounted for by the theory. Finally, the photoelectron spin polarization produced by the multiphoton ionization of unpolarized atoms, like the analogous polarization resulting from single-photon ionization, is found to depend on the circular polarization of the incident radiation.
An experiment is reported on two-step photoionization of Cs via the 6P 3/2 intermediate state using circularly polarized radiation from a GaAs laser for the first step (8521 AA) and from an Ar-ion laser for the second step. Values for the ratio of ion production rates for right- and left-handed circular polarization in the second step and for the spin polarization of the photoelectrons are presented. The measurements are interpreted on the basis of a calculation which takes into account the hyperfine splitting of the levels involved in the first transition. A description in terms of fine-structure splitting of the 6P state is shown to be totally inadequate, even when allowing for possibly large spin-orbit effects in the continuum. The process is evaluated as a possible source of a spin-polarized electron beam.
General equations are proposed for the integrated cross section and degree of spin polarization of photoelectrons emitted by ground-state alkali metal atoms in two-photon ionization by two different optical beams. The equations, which are derived in the fine-structure approximation, are valid for polarized and unpolarized atoms, parallel experimental geometries, completely polarized (elliptically, circularly, and linearly polarized) and completely unpolarized optical beams, and also near resonance with an nP intermediate doublet level.
The study of the creation of doubly charged ions upon the laser-induced multiphoton ionization of alkaline-earth metals is reviewed. The results show that the features of the creation of the doubly charged ions depend on the spectral range of the ionizing laser radiation. In the ionization of the alkaline-earth atoms by the visible laser radiation, the cascade creation of the doubly charged ions is predominantly implemented when the ions result from the multiphoton ionization of singly charged ions created in the presence of the same laser pulse. In the multiphoton ionization of the alkaline-earth atoms by the IR laser radiation, the two-electron process occurs when the doubly charged ions are directly created from neutral atoms owing to the ionization via induced resonances with strongly perturbed states of these atoms.