Abstract
We have investigated the threshold of photodetachment of leading to the formation of the residual Li atom in the 2P state. The excited residual atom was selectively photoionized via an intermediate Rydberg state and the resulting ion was detected. A collinear laser-ion beam geometry enabled both high resolution and sensitivity to be attained. We have demonstrated the potential of this state-selective photodetachment spectroscopic method by improving the accuracy of Li electron affinity measurements an order of magnitude. From a fit to the Wigner law in the threshold region, we obtained a Li electron affinity of 0.618 049(20) eV. © 1996 The American Physical Society.
- Received 6 November 1995
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.53.4127
©1996 American Physical Society