Measurement of the photoionization cross section of the (2p){sup 5}(3p) {sup 3}D{sub 3} state of neon

We report a new measurement of the photoionization cross section for the (2p){sup 5}(3p) {sup 3}D{sub 3} state of neon at the wavelengths of 351 and 364 nm. These data were obtained by monitoring the decay of the fluorescence of atoms trapped in a magneto-optical atom trap under the presence of a photoionizing laser, a technique developed by Dinneen et al. [Opt. Lett. 17, 1706 (1992)]. We obtain absolute photoionization cross sections of 2.05{+-}0.25x10{sup -18} cm{sup 2} at {lambda}=351 nm and 2.15{+-}0.25x10{sup -18} cm{sup 2} at {lambda}=364 nm, an improvement in accuracy of a factor of 4 over previously published values. These new values are not consistent with published theoretical data.