Experimental Investigation of Continuous-Wave Laser Ionization of Krypton

This report describes experimental investigations of a method that uses continuous-wave (CW) lasers to ionize selected isotopes of krypton with high isotopic selectivity. The experiments show that the ionization rate is at least a factor of 100 lower than calculated with our model that has been described in a previous report. This discrepancy may be due to a much smaller excitation cross section that expected based on previous work and/or the aberrations in the ultraviolet beam used for the first step in the excitation. Additional problems with damage to mirrors, alignment instabilities, and manufacturers halting production of key products make this approach not worth further development at this tim