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Laser Spectroscopy

PHOTOIONIZATION OF COLD AND ULTRACOLD RUBIDIUM ATOMS

Marco Anderlini, Donatella Ciampini, E. COURTADE, F. Fuso, O. Morsch, Jörg Helge Müller, E. Arimondo

Published Feb 1, 2004• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Photoionization of a cold atomic sample offers intriguing possibilities to observe collective effects at extremely low temperatures. Ionization of a rubidium condensate and of cold rubidium atoms in a magneto-optical/magnetic trap through 1-photon and 2-photon absorption processes has been performed. Losses of the remaining trapped cold cloud or the remaining condensate sample have been examined as a function of the ionizing laser parameters.

DOI
10.1142/9789812703002_0052

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Photoionization of a cold atomic sample offers intriguing possibilities to observe collective effects at extremely low temperatures. Ionization of a rubidium condensate and of cold rubidium atoms in a magneto-optical/magnetic trap through 1-photon and 2-photon absorption processes has been performed. Losses of the remaining trapped cold cloud or the remaining condensate sample have been examined as a function of the ionizing laser parameters.
Photoionization of a cold atomic sample offers intriguing possibilities for observing collective effects at extremely low temperatures. Irradiation of a rubidium condensate and of cold rubidium atoms within a magneto-optical trap (MOT) with laser pulses ionizing through one-photon and two-photon absorption processes was performed. Losses and modifications in the density profile of the remaining trapped cold cloud or the remaining condensate sample were examined as functions of the ionizing laser parameters. Ionization cross sections were measured for atoms in a MOT, while in magnetic traps losses larger than those expected for ionization process were measured.
The recent development of laser cooling and trapping techniques has made possible the controlled realization of dense and cold atomic samples, thus opening the way for spectroscopic investigations in the low and ultra-low temperature regimes not accessible with conventional techniques. In our lab, an apparatus for laser cooling and Bose-Einstein condensation of rubidium atoms is in operation, producing a sample large enough to perform reliable investigations by absorption or emission techniques. Moving from previous photoionization experiments of laser-cooled atoms in a magneto-optical trap irradiated by cw-laser radiation [1] and stimulated by the interest grown recently on ultra-cold plasma [2], we have started a series of experiments aimed at investigating the interaction of intense laser pulses with the ultra-cold neutral sample, boty aboeand below the condensation temperature. Radiation from an excimer-pumped dye laser was used at a wavelength close to 594 nm, corresponding to the ionization threshold of rubidium for two photon non-resonant absorption from the ground state, with intensities in the tens of MW/cm^2 range and a pulse duration of 16 ns. Preliminary results, attained through the dynamical analysis (atom number, temperature) of the cold atom sample after the arrival of the laser pulse, suggest the occurrence of different processes, initiated by multi-photon ionization, involving collisions between cold electrons and ultra-cold neutrals, recombination at low temperatures and collective processes in the weak and cold plasma. Interpretation of those results demonstrates that this class of experiments, based on a variety of topics typical of atomic, plasma and statistical physics, can open the way for novel and intriguing investigations of laser-matter interaction. Further experimental developments will include duplication of the laser pulse frequency and one photon ionization of ground state rubidium laser-cooled atoms. [1] O. Maragò et al., Phys. Rev. A 57 R4110 (1998); E., Arimondo et al., Appl. Surf. Sci. 154-155 527 (2000); F. Fuso et al., Opt. Commun. 173 223 (2000). [2] T.C. Killian et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 83 4776 (1999); S. Kulin et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 85 318 (2000).
We report on photoionization of ultracold magnetically trapped Rb atoms on an atom chip. The atoms are trapped at $5\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{K}$ in a strongly anisotropic trap. Through a hole in the chip with a diameter of $150\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$, two laser beams are focused onto a fraction of the atomic cloud. A first laser beam with a wavelength of 778nm778\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}778nm excites the atoms via a two-photon transition to the 5D5D5D level. With a fiber laser at 1080nm1080\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}1080nm the excited atoms are photoionized. Ionization leads to depletion of the atomic density distribution observed by absorption imaging. The resonant ionization spectrum is reported. The setup used in this experiment is suitable not only to investigate mixtures of Bose-Einstein condensates and ions but also for single-atom detection on an atom chip.
Two-photon ionization cross sections from the rubidium ground state have been measured with both a cw 421-nm laser and a combination of cw 421- and 1002-nm lasers. The measurements were performed within a high-vacuum magneto-optical trap while the trapping lasers were switched off, exploiting the long trap lifetime and also the trap laser confinement. The two-photon cross sections were determined for the blue laser near resonance with the 6P1/2 and 6P3/2 states and compared with the estimates of a theoretical model. In near resonance with the 6P states, large two-photon photoionization cross sections were measured.