Measurement of Relaxation Time Constants of Optically Pumped Stored Mercury Ions

A method is described which makes it possible to measure the relaxation time constants of mercury ions. They are confined in a radio-frequency trap and optically pumped in order to observe the hyperfine transition in their ground state. This method is based on the study of the fluorescence signal emitted by the ions in various steady- and transient-state experiments. The storage time, longitudinal and transverse relaxation times, and the optical pumping time are measured.