Abstract

A pulsed-field time-of-flight mass spectrometer was used in conjunction with two XeCl^* excimer laser pumped dye lasers to examine the spectroscopy of Lu atoms near the 5.4 eV ionization limit, Fig. 1. A fixed frequency laser, 22125 cm⁻¹, was used to saturate the 5d6s ^{2 2}D_3/2 →5d6s6p ²D_3/2 transition, while a frequency scanned laser was used to probe transitions from the excited state to high Rydberg or low lying autoionizing levels. Rydberg levels close to the continuum were observed and assigned, as were several autoionizing features not previously reported.^1,2

© 1982 Optical Society of America