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Europhysics Letters (EPL)

Precise lifetime determination of the metastable 3d 2 D 5/2 level in Ca + by "electron shelving"

Th. Gudjons, B Hilbert, P Seibert, Günther Werth

Published Mar 10, 1996• 23 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Ca + ions confined as a cloud in a Paul trap were excited and cooled by radiation from two lasers, tuned to the 4s 2 S 1/2 − 4p 2 P 1/2 and 4p 2 P 1/2 − 3d 2 D 3/2 transitions. The strong fluorescence of these lines disappears when we excite the ions simultaneously by a third laser on the 3d 2 D 3/2 − 4p 2 P 3/2 line because of population trapping in the metastable 3d 2 D 5/2 state, into which the 4p 2 P 3/2 level decays. From the time dependence of the fluorescence after blocking the third laser we determined the lifetime of the 3d 2 D 5/2 level. Our result of τ = 1064(17) ms improves earlier results and agrees with the value recently computed by Liaw using the Brueckner approximation.

DOI
10.1209/epl/i1996-00384-1

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AIP conference proceedings•Jan 1, 1999•0 citations
Ca + ions confined as a cloud in a Paul trap were excited and cooled by radiation from two lasers, tuned to the 4s 2 S 1/2 − 4p 2 P 1/2 and 4p 2 P 1/2 − 3d 2 D 3/2 transitions. The strong fluorescence of these lines disappears when we excite the ions simultaneously by a third laser on the 3d 2 D 3/2 − 4p 2 P 3/2 line because of population trapping in the metastable 3d 2 D 5/2 state, into which the 4p 2 P 3/2 level decays. From the time dependence of the fluorescence after blocking the third laser we determined the lifetime of the 3d 2 D 5/2 level. Our result of τ = 1064(17) ms improves earlier results and agrees with the value recently computed by Liaw using the Brueckner approximation.
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The metastable 32{3}^{2}32D3/2,5/2{\mathit{D}}_{3/2,5/2}D3/2,5/2​ doublet of Ca+{\mathrm{Ca}}^{+}Ca+ ions stored in a Paul trap was investigated in the presence of different neutral gases, in the pressure range ${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}9}$--${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}6}$ mbar. The natural lifetimes were determined to be \ensuremath{\tau}(D3/2{\mathit{D}}_{3/2}D3/2​)=1111\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}46 ms and \ensuremath{\tau}(D5/2{\mathit{D}}_{5/2}D5/2​)=994\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}38 ms, which agree very well with previous experiments. The estimation of the quenching rates of Ca+{\mathrm{Ca}}^{+}Ca+-He [${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}_{\mathrm{He}}$=(1.05\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.42)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}12}$ cm3{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}cm3 ${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$], Ca+{\mathrm{Ca}}^{+}Ca+-Ne [${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}_{\mathrm{}\mathrm{Ne}}$=(0.9\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.7)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}12}$ cm3{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}cm3 ${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$], and Ca+{\mathrm{Ca}}^{+}Ca+-N2{\mathrm{N}}_{2}N2​ [${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}_{{\mathrm{N}}_{2}}$=(1.7\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}10}$ cm3{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}cm3 ${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$] was carried out for collisions in the energy range 0.3--1.3 eV. In addition, rate constants for the mixing of the fine-structure states were measured in the presence of helium and nitrogen for the j=3/2\ensuremath{\rightarrow}j=5/2 case [${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{35}$(He)=(2.24\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.10)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}10}$ cm3{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}cm3 ${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ and ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{35}$(N2{\mathrm{N}}_{2}N2​)=(2.8\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}9}$ cm3{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}cm3 ${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$] and for the j=5/2\ensuremath{\rightarrow}j=3/2 case [${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{53}$(He)=(1.2\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.7)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}10}$ cm3{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}cm3 ${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ and ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{53}$(N2{\mathrm{N}}_{2}N2​)=(1.26\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.10)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}9}$ cm3{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}cm3 ${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$]. The measurements were carried out populating the metastable levels by direct laser excitation of the forbidden S-D transitions.
We present a measurement of the lifetime of the metastable 3d2D5∕23d\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}^{2}D_{5∕2}3d2D5∕2​ state in the 40Ca+^{40}\mathrm{Ca}^{+}40Ca+ ion, using the so-called shelving technique on a string of five Doppler laser-cooled ions in a linear Paul trap. A detailed account of the data analysis is given, and systematic effects due to unwanted excitation processes and collisions with background gas atoms are discussed and estimated. From a total of 6805 shelving events, we obtain a lifetime $\ensuremath{\tau}=1149\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}14(\text{stat}.)\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}4(\text{sys}.)\text{ms}$, a result which is in agreement with the most recent measurements.
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The natural lifetime of the metastable 4d2D5∕24d\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}^{2}D_{5∕2}4d2D5∕2​ state in 88Sr+^{88}\mathrm{Sr}^{+}88Sr+ has been measured using a single laser-cooled, trapped ion. The ion was prepared in the 4d2D5∕24d\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}^{2}D_{5∕2}4d2D5∕2​ state by laser excitation of the $5s\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}^{2}S_{1∕2}\ensuremath{-}4d\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}^{2}D_{5∕2}$ quadrupole transition at 674 nm. The decay time was measured by using Dehmelt's electron shelving method to monitor the ion's electronic state. Two separate investigations were conducted under slightly different experimental conditions. 160 000 decay times from the 4d2D5∕24d\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}^{2}D_{5∕2}4d2D5∕2​ state were observed in total, and two different methods for determining the statistical value of the measured lifetime have been compared. Systematic effects have also been estimated, and including these effects yields a value of $\ensuremath{\tau}=390.8(1.6)\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{ms}$ ($1\ensuremath{\sigma}$ uncertainty) for the natural lifetime.
A laser cooled ion crystal containing several hundred Ca+ ions has been stored in a linear Paul trap. Cooling is provided by a red detund laser at the 4S1/2−4P1/2 resonance transition. A second laser serves for repumping of those ions which decay from the excited 4P1/2 level to the metastable 3D3/2 state. The ions can be additionally excited by a third laser to a long lived metastable 3D5/2 energy level which decouples them from the cooling laser radiation. The light pressure acting upon the laser cooled ions pushes them into the direction of the laser beam. The ions in the metastable 3D5/2 state, however, do not experience any light pressure force and diffuse to the crystal side which points towards the cooling laser. Part of the crystal then appears dark. Depending on the number of ions in the crystal and on the fraction of the excited ions, the spatial separation of the ions in the metastable state and the ions in the cooling cycle can be as large as several hundred microns.