METHOD OF AND DEVICE FOR SELECTIVELY PHOTOIONIZING MERCURY ISOTOPE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and a device for selectively photoionizing mercury isotopes so that the ionization at specified laser intensity proceeds in as high a degree as possible. ;SOLUTION: In this method, an isotope selective photoinization process of for stages for selectively ionizing the mercury isotope - 196 is used. In this case, mercury is made in the form of atomic vapor, and the photoinization is performed by irradiating the isotope with photons whose wavelength is set so that the isotope continuously attains from a base state to a first excitation level, 5d¹⁰6s6p³P₁ (A), a second excitation level, 5d¹⁰6s7s³S₁ (B), a third excitation level, 5d⁹6s²6p ³P₂ (C1) or 5d¹⁰6s7p ³P₂ (C2), and finally an automatic ionization level, 5d⁹ (²D_5/2) 6s²nl (D).;COPYRIGHT: (C)1999,JPO