Novel source of excited metastable atoms for Atom Trap Trace Analysis

该项目旨在通过使用形状精细和量身定做的激光脉冲来了解和控制原子中的光诱导过程，重点是有效地产生受激发的亚稳态原子。这对于高效的原子陷阱痕量分析是至关重要的，这是一种最先进的地下水和地质样品测年技术。该项目的预期成果包括新的和增强的光-物质相互作用物理知识，开发一种高效、清洁的激发亚稳原子来源，并将该来源整合到澳大利亚国家地质样品测年设施中。这应该会带来显著的好处，例如显著提高该设施的运作效率和生产率。

This project aims to understand and to control light-induced processes in atoms by using finely shaped and tailored laser pulses, focusing on efficient production of excited metastable atoms. This is critical for efficient Atom Trap Trace Analysis, the most advanced technique for dating ground water and geological samples. Expected outcomes of this project include new and enhanced knowledge of physics of light-matter interactions, developing an efficient, clean source of excited metastable atoms, and integrating that source into the Australian National Facility for dating geological samples. This should provide significant benefits, such as significant improvement of operational efficiency and productivity of that facility.