Two-photon laser spectroscopy of thens’andnd’autoionizing Rydberg series in xenon

We have studied the odd-parity autoionizing levels in xenon by two-photon laser spectroscopy from the 6s${\left[\mathrm{}\right(3/2\left)\mathrm{}\right]}_2$ metastable level via various J=1,2 6p’ intermediate levels. Observed Rydberg series are ns’ ${[1/2]}_0$,1, nd’ ${\left[\mathrm{}\right(3/2\left)\mathrm{}\right]}_1$,2, and nd’ ${\left[\mathrm{}\right(5/2\left)\mathrm{}\right]}_2$,3 with n ranging to, in some cases, n>80. This is the first observation of J≠1 odd-parity autoionization in xenon. These spectra are notable for the absence of the very intense, broad transitions to nd’ ${\left[\mathrm{}\right(3/2\left)\mathrm{}\right]}_1$ which dominate photoabsorption from the J=0 ground state. We here present energy-level measurements for 140 levels. These extensive new data should be useful for further multichannel quantum-defect theory analysis of xenon.