STUDIES ON THE ISOTOPE SELECTIVE PHOTOIONIZATION OF THE LOW-ABUNDANT YB-168 ISOTOPE

The efficiency of the two photoionization schemes scheme 1: 4f(14)6s(2 ) S-1(0) (0 cm(-1)) (555.648 nm) under right arrow 4f(14)6s6p P-3(1)o (17 992.007 cm(-1)) (581.027 nm) under right arrow 4f(13)6s(2)6p(7/2, 3/2)(2) (35 196.98 cm(-1)) (582.79 nm) under right arrow autoionizatio n state (52 353 cm(-1)) --> Yb+ and scheme 2: 4f(14)6s(2) S-1(0)(0 cm( -1)) (398.8 nm) under right arrow 4f(14)6S6p P-1(1)0 (25 068.222 cm(-1 )) (<394 nm) under right arrow Yb+ has been studied by a spectral simu lation approach for the isotope-selective excitation of the Yb-168 iso tope. Isotopic selectivities have been computed for 4f(14)6s(2) S-1(0) -4f(14)6s6p(3)P(1)(0) (555.648 nm), P-3(1)o-(7/2, 3/2)(2) (581.027 nm) and 4f(14)6s(2 1)S(0)-4f(14)6s6p P-1(1)o (398.8 nm) transitions for v arious laser bandwidths of the excitation lasers. The degree of enrich ment of the low-abundant Yb-168 isotope has been computed using the ob tained isotopic selectivity values. Results obtained for scheme 1 are in good agreement with the results reported earlier. The abundance of Yb-168 isotope has been computed for various laser linewidths of the e xcitation laser and Doppler widths for scheme 2. Comparison of the two photoionization schemes for isotope-selective photoionization of the Yb-168 isotope has been made. The present computational method has bee n examined for computation of degree of enrichment for the photoioniza tion schemes under consideration.