Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 143001 (2001) [4 pages]Control of Near-Threshold Detachment Cross Sections via Laser Polarization |
PRL Celebrates 50 Years
This Week's Milestone Letters are from 1981: |
René C. Bilodeau, Michael Scheer *, and Harold K. Haugen †
Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1
Received 13 March 2001; published 11 September 2001
The behavior of near-threshold cross sections for dissociation of a target into a pair of particles, as described by Wigner’s threshold law, can depend sensitively on the angular momentum of the particles. In this Letter, we investigate the near-threshold nonresonant two-photon detachment process in the negative ion of gold. The expected s-wave threshold behavior is observed with linearly polarized light. Closure of the s-wave channel is realized by using circular polarization, allowing the first observation of a d-wave threshold. Practical applications are discussed, including extensions which could prove valuable for investigations of negative ions with near-threshold structure.
©2001 The American Physical Society
URL: http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v87/e143001
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.143001
PACS: 32.80.Gc, 32.80.Wr
* Currently with High Performance Optical Components Solutions, Nortel Networks, Ottawa, Canada.
† Also with the Department of Engineering Physics, the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, and the Center for Electrophotonic Materials and Devices, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada.
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