Exploiting transport properties for the detection of optical pumping in heavy ions

TL;DR

This paper develops a kinetic model and transport property calculations for Lu$^+$ ions, enabling efficient detection of optical pumping states through mobility and diffusion measurements in helium gas.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework for analyzing transport properties of Lu$^+$ ions in different states, aiding optical pumping detection.

Findings

Ground and metastable ions can be distinguished via mobility differences.

Transport properties depend on field and temperature, affecting ion collection.

The model predicts ion arrival time distributions under realistic conditions.

Abstract

We present a kinetic model for optical pumping in Lu$^+$ and Lr$^+$ ions as well as a theoretical approach to calculate the transport properties of Lu$^+$ in its ground $^1S_0$ and metastable $^3D_1$ states in helium background gas. Calculations of the initial ion state populations, the field and temperature dependence of the mobilities and diffusion coefficients, and the ion arrival time distributions demonstrate that the ground- and metastable-state ions can be collected and discriminated efficiently under realistic macroscopic conditions.