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Physical Review Letters

Polarization Effect in Photoionization of Cesium

Michael S. Lubell, Wilhelm Raith

Published Aug 4, 1969• 37 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Polarized cesium atoms were ionized by circularly polarized light. The cesium-ion intensities obtained with positive and negative photon helicities were measured at various wavelengths. The results demonstrate that the wave functions for the continuum states of cesium are perturbed by a spin-orbit interaction in accordance with the theoretical interpretations given by Seaton and Fano.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.23.211

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Polarized cesium atoms were ionized by circularly polarized light. The cesium-ion intensities obtained with positive and negative photon helicities were measured at various wavelengths. The results demonstrate that the wave functions for the continuum states of cesium are perturbed by a spin-orbit interaction in accordance with the theoretical interpretations given by Seaton and Fano.
We present a systematic theoretical analysis of two-photon ionization of cesium in the perturbation-theory regime. Matrix elements from diverse sources, such as quantum-defect theory and model potentials, as well as from experimental oscillator strengths, have been used in the calculation. The results are discussed in the context of recent measurements. In addition to total generalized cross sections (gcs) for linearly polarized light, ratios of gcs for linear to circular polarization, as well as photoelectron spin polarization, have been calculated. The various sets of matrix elements give results which are consistent, given variations that should be expected from the diversity of the sources. The disagreement with experiment, however, persists.
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.
Experimental results on the photoionization spectra of excited rubidium atoms in a well-defined ml=1{m}_{l}=1ml​=1 state in the presence of an electric field are reported. Spectra corresponding to a definite polarization of the ionizing light exhibit characteristic resonances which are ascribed either to the non-Coulombic part of the central potential or to the spin-orbit interaction. The different line profiles are interpreted as being due to interferences between discrete states and continua, the observed structures depending directly on the density of oscillator strengths and not simply on the density of continuum states.
Measurements of collisional depolarization cross sections play an important role in gaining valuable information about the interaction between inert and rare-gas atoms.A key element in understanding collisional dynamics is the detailed analysis of the polarization of the emitted photons.In order to investigate the collisional cross section of the excited J=1/2 cesium atoms, by collisions with the ground level argon atoms, experimental measurements were made studying circular polarization spectra.Orientation in the J=1/2 level was optically induced by circularly polarized light with a positive helicity.A two-photon double-resonance (6s 2 S 1/2 →6p 2 P 1/2 → 10s 2 S 1/2 ) condition was achieved using nanosecond pulsed dye lasers, and the intensity of the cascade fluorescence was monitored in the presence of argon atoms ranging from 10 -4 torr to 100 torr.