Lifetime Measurement of the Metastable <span class="aps-inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mn>4</mn><mi mathvariant="italic">d</mi><mi></mi><mrow><mmultiscripts><mrow><mi>D</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn><mi>/</mi><mn>2</mn></mrow><mrow></mrow><mrow></mrow><mrow></mrow><mprescripts></mprescripts><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow><mrow></mrow><mrow></mrow></mmultiscripts></mrow></math></span> Level in <span class="aps-inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mrow><msup><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">Sr</mi></mrow><mrow><mo>+</mo></mrow></msup></mrow></math></span> by Optical Pumping of a Stored Ion Beam

S. Mannervik; J. Lidberg; L-O Norlin; P. Royen; A. Schmitt; W. Shi; X. Tordoir

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.83.698

Lifetime Measurement of the Metastable $4 d {}^{2}D_{3 / 2}$ Level in ${Sr}^{+}$ by Optical Pumping of a Stored Ion Beam

S. Mannervik, J. Lidberg, L-O Norlin, P. Royen, A. Schmitt, W. Shi, and X. Tordoir

Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 698 – Published 26 July 1999

Abstract

Optical pumping has been applied to a stored ion beam of singly charged strontium. Collinear laser excitation in the storage ring transferred the main part of the ion beam into the metastable $4 d {}^{2}D_{3 / 2}$ level. Subsequent observation of the forbidden electric quadrupole transition to the ground state yielded information about the radiative lifetime of the metastable state. With this new method a lifetime of $435 \pm 4 ms$ was obtained. The metastable $4 d {}^{2}D$ levels are presently focused on as candidates for a new frequency standard.

Received 28 April 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.83.698

Authors & Affiliations

S. Mannervik¹, J. Lidberg¹, L-O Norlin², P. Royen³, A. Schmitt⁴, W. Shi³, and X. Tordoir⁵

¹Atomic Physics, Stockholm University, S-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
²Physics Department in Frescati, Royal Institute of Technology, S-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
³Physics Department, Stockholm University, P.O. Box 6730, S-113 85 Stockholm, Sweden
⁴Fachbereich Physik, Universität Kaiserslautern, D-67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
⁵Physique Nucléaire Experimentale, Université Liège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium