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Time-Resolved Studies of Ultra-Cold Ionizing Collisions
Published
Author(s)
C R. Orzel, S Bergeson, S L. Rolston, S Kulin
Abstract
Using 40 ns laser pulses, we probe the real-time dynamics of ultra-cold ionizing collisions in metastable xenon. We time-resolve both shielding and enhancement effects, and observe the production of Xe2+ molecular ions through associative ionization. We estimate the rate of molecule formation in excited-state collisions, and directly observe the role of both flux enhancement and excited state survival in the collisional enhancement process. Conceptually simple theoretical models are used to predict the dynamics of the collisional shielding.
Orzel, C.
, Bergeson, S.
, Rolston, S.
and Kulin, S.
(1998),
Time-Resolved Studies of Ultra-Cold Ionizing Collisions, Physical Review Letters
(Accessed October 12, 2025)