Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 143001 (2004) [4 pages]Using Absorption Imaging to Study Ion Dynamics in an Ultracold Neutral PlasmaReceived 17 September 2003; published 6 April 2004 We report optical absorption imaging of ultracold neutral strontium plasmas. The ion absorption spectrum determined from the images is Doppler broadened and thus provides a quantitative measure of the ion kinetic energy. For the particular plasma conditions studied, ions heat rapidly as they equilibrate during the first 250 ns after plasma formation. Equilibration leaves ions on the border between the weakly coupled gaseous and strongly coupled liquid states. On a longer time scale of microseconds, pressure exerted by the trapped electron gas accelerates the ions radially. © 2004 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.143001
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.143001
PACS:
32.80.Pj, 52.27.Gr
|
|
About | Terms and Conditions | Subscriptions | Search | Help
Use of the American Physical Society websites and journals implies that the user has read and agrees to our Terms and Conditions and any applicable Subscription Agreement. Physical Review®, Physical Review Letters®, Reviews of Modern Physics®, and Physical Review Special Topics® are trademarks of the American Physical Society.