POPULATION-DYNAMICS OF YB ISOTOPES IN A THIN MEDIUM INTERACTING WITH LASER-RADIATION RESONANT WITH TRANSITION LINES OF YB-168

The three-color, three-step, three-photon ionization scheme of Yb such that 61S(o)(0 cm-1) --> 63P1(17992.008 cm-1) --> (7/2, 3/2)2(4f136s26 p(35196.98 cm-1) --> A. I. (52353 cm-1) is chosen to examine the popul ation dynamics of the Yb isotopes in a thin medium. The Bloch equation is numerically solved for the case where the interacting lasers are r esonant with the transition lines of Yb-168. The effects of a quasi-mo nochromatic, single-mode laser bandwidth and Doppler broadening are in vestigated. It is revealed that the chosen ionization scheme can be us ed for photoionization of Yb-168, resulting in a selectivity of 100%; however, the laser beam propagation in a thick medium for ionizing can be affected by at least two isotopes, Yb-171 and Yb-173.