Study of the beam-foil-laser excitation

The excitation of a fast ion beam, by a laser beam perpendicular to the ion beam axis at the exit of a carbon foil, has been studied both theoretically and experimentally. The laser was tuned to a transition 1 → 2 of an ion first excited by a carbon foil. The population changes of levels 1 and 2 in the laser field are expressed as a function of the relevant parameters. Beam-foil-laser experiments have been realized using hydrogen beams (∝ 100 keV/amu), preexcited in a carbon foil, interacting with a cw dye laser inside its cavity. Experimental results are in good agreement with our calculations. (orig.)