Lifetimes of excited levels of atomic lutetium

V. N. Gorshkov, V. A. Komarovskii, N. P. Penkin

Ludwig L. Shimon, N. M. Érdevdi

H. Maeda, Yoshihiro MIZUGAI, Yoshiteru Matsumoto +2 more

The highly excited even levels of the lutetium atom are studied by two-step resonance ionisation spectroscopy. Four Rydberg series, 6s 2 ns 2 S 1/2 (n=17-76), 6s 2 nd 2 D 3/2 (n=14-105), 6s 2 nd 2 D 5/2 (n=19-87) and 6s 2 ng 2 G 9/2 (n=21-61), are measured and analysed. A very weak perturbation from an unassigned J= 3 / 2 even valence level is observed around 6s 2 52d 2 D 3/2 as a dip of ion signals induced by a decrease of radiative lifetimes in the perturbed Rydberg states. Small dips observed in nearby 6s 2 ns 2 S 1/2 and 6s 2 nd 2 D 5/2 Rydberg states are interpreted as the influence of the quadrupole hyperfine interaction of 175 Lu (I= 7 / 2 ).

Ya. F. Verolainen, V. A. Komarovskii, N. P. Penkin

Michelle Marilyn. McCurdy

G. I. Bekov, E. P. Vidolova-Angelova

An experimental investigation was made of the even Rydberg and autoionizing states of lutetium atoms. These atoms were excited and ionized in two stages by radiation from tunable dye lasers. A study was made of the dependence of the ion current on the laser wavelength in the second stage. The results were used to propose an effective ionization scheme involving an autoionizing state with an excitation cross section of 1.5 × 10 −15 cm 2 .