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Physics World

Triple first for atoms

Published Oct 1, 1998• 0 citations
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Abstract

A group of physicists from Japan and the US has observed the triple photoionization of lithium – in which a single photon simultaneously ejects all three electrons from an atom – for the first time (R Wehlitz et al. 1998 Phys. Rev. Lett. 81 1813). The team used extreme ultraviolet radiation from the Japanese Photon Factory, a synchrotron radiation source at the KEK lab in Tsukuba, to ionize the atoms.

DOI
10.1088/2058-7058/11/10/4

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A group of physicists from Japan and the US has observed the triple photoionization of lithium – in which a single photon simultaneously ejects all three electrons from an atom – for the first time (R Wehlitz et al. 1998 Phys. Rev. Lett. 81 1813). The team used extreme ultraviolet radiation from the Japanese Photon Factory, a synchrotron radiation source at the KEK lab in Tsukuba, to ionize the atoms.
The reported observation of two-photon ionization of He by 13eV13\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}13eV photons of the TESLA Facility in T. Laarmann, A. R. B. de Castro, P. G\"urtler, W. Laasch, J. Schulz, H. Wabnitz, and T. M\"oller, Phys. Rev. A72, 023409 (2005) is ambiguous, as it is not supported by the experimental data presented. We discuss the lack of evidence for the claimed two-photon ionization.
Ejection of the three electrons from lithium in a single electron collision has been observed for the first time. Triply charged lithium was observed in an ion time-of-flight spectrum following electron impact on a sample of ultracold, trapped lithium. The higher signal/background afforded by the trap environment made the observation of Li3+{\mathrm{L}\mathrm{i}}^{3+}Li3+ possible. We measured the ratios of triple-to-double and double-to-single ionization at an impact energy of 1000 eV. The 3+/2+3+/2+3+/2+ ratio is $\ensuremath{\approx}0.001$, a value 2 orders of magnitude lower than semiempirical predictions. We present a simple method that uses photoionization data combined with sum-rule analysis to predict the asymptotic charge-state ratios. The sum-rule predictions compare reasonably with experiment and shake calculations, but disagree sharply with the semiempirical estimates.
Ejection of the three electrons from lithium in a single electron collision has been observed for the first time. Triply charged lithium was observed in an ion time-of-flight spectrum following electron impact on a sample of ultracold, trapped lithium. The higher signal/background afforded by the trap environment made the observation of Li3+ possible. We measured the ratios of triple-to-double and double-to-single ionization at an impact energy of 1000 eV. The 3+/2+ ratio is approximately 0.001, a value 2 orders of magnitude lower than semiempirical predictions. We present a simple method that uses photoionization data combined with sum-rule analysis to predict the asymptotic charge-state ratios. The sum-rule predictions compare reasonably with experiment and shake calculations, but disagree sharply with the semiempirical estimates.
Studies of multiphoton ionization of atoms have revealed several unexpected characteristics. The confluence of the experimental evidence leads to the hypothesis that the basic character of the atomic response involves highly organized, coherent motions of entire atomic shells. The important regime, for which the radiative field strength is greater than an atomic unit (e/a(2)(0)), can be viewed in approximate correspondence with the physics of fast (approximately 10 MeV per atomic mass unit) atom-atom scattering. This physical picture provides a basis for the expectation that stimulated emission in the x-ray range can be produced by direct, highly nonlinear coupling of ultraviolet radiation to atoms.