This award will support collaborative research in atomic physics between Dr. Thomas Morgan, Wesleyan University and Dr. Francois Wuilleumier, Laboratoire de Spectroscopie Atomique et Ionique, Orsay, France. The investigators propose a series of experiments for the study of the photoionization of laser-excited atoms and the photoionization of singly and doubly-charged atoms. Information on the properties of ions, their structure and interactions with atoms, other ions and radiation, is important for the plasma and astrophysical sciences. In this project, synchrotron radiation in conjunction with laser excited ions will be used to probe the structure of atomic systems and the dynamics of the interactions of photons with excited atoms and charged particles. Dr. Morgan will have access to the SUPER-ACO, the world's first third generation synchrotron radiation facility, which is just being commissioned in France. Dr. Wuilleumier, the French investigator, is a pioneer in the use of synchrotron radiation in atomic physics; his Orsay lab is internationally recognized. Results of this research will be of value for the understanding of the structure and dynamics of excited atoms and ions in the free state.
