Simultaneous Laser- and Ion-Beam Excitation of a Na-Beam Target

We report the first measurement of Na and Na/sup +/ autoionization spectra following collisions of 1-MeV He/sup +/ ions on selectively excited Na 3p /sup 2/P/sub 3/2/ target atoms. The atomic states were populated with a c.w. dye laser which was tuned to the Na 3s /sup 2/S/sub 1/2/..-->..Na 3p /sup 2/P/sub 3/2/ transition. The simultaneous laser-ion beam excitation technique produces significant intensity variations particularly for the decay of the Na/sup +/ 2s2p /sup 6/3s /sup 1,3/S and the Na/sup +/ 2s2p /sup 6/3p /sup 1,3/P states. The technique may provide additional information for line identification, excitation mechanisms, and angular distribution measurements.