Angular Distributions of Electrons from Resonant Two-Photon Ionization of Sodium

Sodium atoms are excited to either the 3²P3/2 or 3²P1/2 state using a linearly polarized dye-laser beam and are subsequently ionized using a linearly polarized nitrogen-laser beam. Angular distributions of the ejected electron have been both measured and calculated for several relative orientations of the photon polarization vectors. The difference between the s- and d-continuum partial-wave phase shifts δₛ-δd and the ratio of the radial dipole matrix elements (dₛdd) are obtained.