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arXiv · 1602.07791

Stimulated Raman Adiabatic Passage for Improved Performance of a Cold Atom Electron and Ion Source

B. M. Sparkes·D. Murphy·R. J. Taylor·R. W. Speirs·A. J. McCulloch·R. E. Scholten
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Abstract

We implement high-efficiency coherent excitation to a Rydberg state using stimulated Raman adiabatic passage in a cold atom electron and ion source. We achieve an efficiency of 60% averaged over the laser excitation volume with a peak efficiency of 82%, a 1.6 times improvement relative to incoherent pulsed-laser excitation. Using pulsed electric field ionization of the Rydberg atoms we create electron bunches with durations of 250 ps. High-efficiency excitation will increase source brightness, crucial for ultrafast electron diffraction experiments, and coherent excitation to high-lying Rydberg states could allow for the reduction of internal bunch heating and the creation of a high-speed single ion source.

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B. M. Sparkes, D. Murphy, R. J. Taylor, R. W. Speirs, A. J. McCulloch, R. E. Scholten. 2016-07-13. Stimulated Raman Adiabatic Passage for Improved Performance of a Cold Atom Electron and Ion Source. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.94.023404

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