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Topical Meeting on Multiple Excitations of Atoms

Multiphoton Double Ionization of Ba

Yachao Zhu, U. Eichmann, Thomas F. Gallagher

Published Jan 1, 1986• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In an effort to gain more insight into the process of multiphoton multiple ionization, several experiments have recently been carried out to determine the wavelength dependence of the double ionization of Sr and Ba. 1-3 These studies were not as conclusive as one might hope, in that the observed resonances in the production of Sr++ and Ba++ did not quite match the energy levels of Sr+ and Ba+. Here we report experiments in which we have compared the spectra for the production of Ba by an intense laser with and without the population of specific states of Ba by modest secondary lasers. The results of these experiments show clearly that Ba++ is produced by first producing real intermediate states of Ba+ which are multiphoton ionized through intermediate resonances in Ba+.

DOI
10.1364/mea.1986.mc4

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In an effort to gain more insight into the process of multiphoton multiple ionization, several experiments have recently been carried out to determine the wavelength dependence of the double ionization of Sr and Ba. 1-3 These studies were not as conclusive as one might hope, in that the observed resonances in the production of Sr++ and Ba++ did not quite match the energy levels of Sr+ and Ba+. Here we report experiments in which we have compared the spectra for the production of Ba by an intense laser with and without the population of specific states of Ba by modest secondary lasers. The results of these experiments show clearly that Ba++ is produced by first producing real intermediate states of Ba+ which are multiphoton ionized through intermediate resonances in Ba+.
The authors have observed the production of Ba2+ from neutral Ba by intense picosecond laser pulses in the range 560-650 nm. Several new features have been observed, which were not observed with nanosecond pulses. Most of the strong resonances in Ba2+ production can be attributed to Ba+ transitions originating in the 6s1/2 or 5dj states, suggesting that the dominant process in double ionization in this intensity and wavelength regime is sequential removal of electrons. However, there are several resonances which cannot be attributed in this manner, evidence for possible alternative ionization mechanisms. Ba2+ production is strong throughout the region studied, at times comparable to that of Ba+. The authors have also looked for Ba2+ production in the range 280-325 nm, but no Ba2+ signal was observed in this part of the ultraviolet.
The authors have studied double ionization of Ba 6snl Rydberg states through resonant two-photon excitation of 8snl double-Rydberg states with n=13 and 14 and different l. The laser intensity dependence of Ba 2+ yield measured for l>or=8, when the electrons suffer long-range dipole interaction, shows a decrease from four-photon for l=8 to less than three for l=11. The four-photon dependence is due to autoionization decay populating the Ba + (7p) levels which gives an indirect signature to the Ba 2+ production. By increasing l this decay vanishes and the data show evidence of a direct double-ionization process via planetary-electron states for l>or=10. Additional intensity measurements performed for low l=6 states strongly mixed with 5fn'l' ones by short-range multipole interaction, reveal indirect Ba 2+ production and an individual case of partial stabilization due to destructive interference leading to direct double ionization.
A model of multiple resonances between groups of discrete and autoionizing levels is proposed for the description of the process of multiphoton ionization. The phenomena of the extremely rapid broadening and growth of amplitudes of the multiphoton resonances, observed experimentally in the yield of Sr+ and Ba+ ions [ J. Phys. B.14, 2253– 2359 ( 1981);Elementary Processes in Laser Radiation Field ( 1988), pp. 122– 153)] are explained on the basis of this model. The strong-coupling method was used in numerical calculations for Sr and Ba atoms in a strong laser field.
Multiphoton ionization (MPI) of barium atom using an excimer-pumped pulsed dye laser has been studied in the wavelength range 570-608 nm at a laser intensity approximately 10.0 GW cm -2 . Resonances in MPI were recorded by monitoring either the ions produced in the multiphoton process using a thermionic detector or fluorescence from the ions formed in their various excited states of Ba + . The observation of photoion and fluorescence spectra were made on Ba vapour in the heat-pipe oven in the moderate-density regime ( approximately 10 13 atoms/cm 3 ) so that the collisional effects are negligible. Fine-structure resolution of the final ionic state (6p 2 P 1/2,3/2 ), produced after four-photon autoionizing decay was obtained. The decay of the Ba atom after four-photon absorption preferentially populates the 6p 2 P 3/2 state relative to the 6p 2 P 1/2 state.
Singly and doubly charged Ca ions have been produced by multiphoton excitation of Ca vapour with 5 ns, low intensity (⩽3 × 10 11 W cm −2 ) dye-laser pulses in the 675–685 nm wavelength range, including the four-photon 4s 2 1 S 0 → 4p 2 1 S 0 excitation. The intensity and wavelength dependence of the ion yields was recorded as well as the fluorescence emission from excited states of the Ca ion in an effort to identify the excitation pathways leading to single and double ionization. Unambiguous evidence for the absorption of at least two photons above the first ionization threshold was recorded, in agreement with earlier results for Mg and Sr obtained under similar conditions. However, certain characteristics of the process differ significantly from those of the earlier results, despite the apparent similarity in both the atomic structure and the excitation scheme. The most striking and unexpected finding is that for a certain wavelength, the Ca 2+ yield is observable well before the saturation intensity of Ca + and, moreover, it grows with intensity and saturates in parallel with the Ca + yield. Possible mechanisms behind this outcome are discussed in detail as well as their implications for the multiphoton multiple ionization of complex atoms. Our tentative conclusion is that the occurrence of doubly charged ion production before the singly charged ion saturation should not be considered as 'synonymous' with direct (or non-sequential) multiphoton double ionization.
Despite inherently complex multiphoton dynamics, our observations show that Ba double ionization with an infrared laser (8800--8920 cm${}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$) resembles a single-photon process; namely, its probability is proportional to the laser intensity. In this regime, single-electron ionization is due to a four-photon resonant transition through the highly perturbed state 6p21D26{p}^{2}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{}^{1}{D}_{2}6p21D2​, whereas double ionization is realized by the two-electron mechanism. Furthermore, we argue that these conclusions are valid for other alkaline-earth-metal atoms and other parameters of laser radiation.