Collisions between ultracold metastable He atoms

We present experimental data on collisions between excited He-atoms occurring in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) at a temperature of 1.1 mK. He(23S)-atoms produced in a discharge are pre-cooled and trapped using the He(23S)–He(23P2) transition for laser manipulation. Measurements of the Penning ionizat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section B, Beam interactions with materials and atoms Beam interactions with materials and atoms, 1999-06, Vol.154 (1-4), p.194-203
Main Authors: Woestenenk, G., Mastwijk, H.C., Thomsen, J.W., Straten, P.van der, Pieksma, M., Rijnbach, M.van, Niehaus, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Laser manipulation
Optical collisions
Penning ionization
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Summary:We present experimental data on collisions between excited He-atoms occurring in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) at a temperature of 1.1 mK. He(23S)-atoms produced in a discharge are pre-cooled and trapped using the He(23S)–He(23P2) transition for laser manipulation. Measurements of the Penning ionization rate as a function of the MOT-laser frequency are presented and theoretically analyzed. The analysis, based on a model which is presented in detail for the first time, leads to a good understanding of the complex nature of optical collisions. Further, first and preliminary measurements of the kinetic energy distributions of He2+- and He+-ions formed by Penning ionization in optical collisions are presented.
ISSN:0168-583X
1872-9584
DOI:10.1016/S0168-583X(99)00190-1