VIBRATIONAL-STATE DISTRIBUTION OF NA-2(+) IONS CREATED IN ULTRACOLD COLLISIONS

Authors
BLANGE JJ ZIJLSTRA JM AMELINK A URBAIN X RUDOLPH H VANDERSTRATEN P BEIJERINCK HCW HEIDEMAN HGM
Citation
Jj. Blange et al., VIBRATIONAL-STATE DISTRIBUTION OF NA-2(+) IONS CREATED IN ULTRACOLD COLLISIONS, Physical review letters, 78(16), 1997, pp. 3089-3092
Citations number
16
Categorie Soggetti
Physics
Journal title
Physical review letters → ACNP
ISSN journal
00319007
Volume
78
Issue
16
Year of publication
1997
Pages
3089 - 3092
Database
ISI
SICI code
0031-9007(1997)78:16<3089:VDONIC>2.0.ZU;2-S
Abstract
The vibrational distribution P(v) of Na-2(+) ions created in ultracold collisions in a magneto-optical trap has been determined. Only two vi brational states with v = 2 and 3 are populated and we find P(2) = 0.2 9 +/- 0.02 and P(3) = 0.71 +/- 0.02. The results provide conclusive ev idence that the ionization mechanism is photoassociative autoionizatio n, and not photoassociative photoionization, and will form a fundament al test for the theoretical description of the process.