Generation of 279nm Light for Single Photon Ionization of Laser Cooled Rubidium

The ionization of rubidium for the formation of ultracold plasma is often done by a two photon process; a 479nm photon ionizes the rubidium from an excited state pumped by the 780nm trapping beams. We detail the generation and characterization of this 297nm light from a Nd:YAG pumped dye laser and a tracking doubling crystal. Supported by Rowan University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Research Corporation grant CC6180 and NSF grant PHY-0613659.