Published October 21, 2002 | Version v1
Journal article

Coulomb expansion of laser-excited ion plasmas

  • 1. FOCUS Center, Physics Department, University of Michigan, 500 East University, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1120 (United States)

Description

We determine the electric field in mm-sized clouds of cold Rb+ ions, produced by photoionization of laser-cooled 87Rb atoms in a magneto-optical trap, using the Stark effect of embedded Rydberg atoms. The dependence of the electric field on the time delay between the ion plasma production and the probe of the electric field reflects the Coulomb expansion of the plasma. Our experiments and models show expansion times <1μs

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Physical Review Letters
Journal Volume
89
Journal Issue
17
Journal Page Range
p. 173004-173004.4
ISSN
0031-9007
CODEN
PRLTAO

Optional Information

Notes
(c) 2002 The American Physical Society