Two-photon photoionization of the Ca 4s3d ^1D~2 level in an optical dipole trap (5 pages)

M. U. Staudt, Marcel Carto Constantin Mudrich, Stephan Kraft

David Lucas

V. A. Ulybin, V. P. Chebotaev

J. E. Daily, Ralf Gommers, Elizabeth A. Cummings +2 more

We report an optical dipole trap for calcium. The trap is created by focusing a $488\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{nm}$ argon-ion laser beam into a calcium magneto-optical trap. The argon-ion laser photoionizes atoms in the trap because of a near-resonance with the $4s4f\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}^{1}F_{3}$ level. By measuring the dipole-trap decay rate as a function of argon-ion laser intensity, we determine the $^{1}F_{3}$ photoionization cross section at our wavelength to be approximately $230\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{Mb}$.

H. W. van der Hart, C. M. McKenna

Elizabeth A. Cummings, J. E. Daily, Dallin Durfee +2 more

We report an optical dipole trap for calcium. The trap is created by focusing a 488-nm argon-ion laser beam into a calcium magneto-optical trap. The argon-ion laser photoionizes atoms in the trap because of a near-resonance with the 4s4f 1^F3 level. By measuring the dipole-trap decay rate as a function of argon-ion laser intensity, we determine the 1^F3 photoionization cross section at our wavelength to be approximately 230 Mb.