We demonstrated a simple method to photo-ionize barium atoms using 791 nm diode laser together with 310 nm UV LED. It solved the bottle-neck problem of previous method using 791 nm diode laser and 337 nm N(2) laser, whose ionization rate was limited by the repetition rate of N(2) laser. Compared with previous method, it has advantages of high efficiency together with simple and cheap setups. By tuning the frequency of 791 nm laser to be resonant with the desired isotope, isotope selective photo-ionization has been realized.
© 2011 Optical Society of America