  This thesis is divided into two parts, each of which supports constructing
and using a lithium magneto-optical trap for cold collision studies:
  Part I: One outgoing channel of interest from cold collisions is the
production of ion pairs. We describe an effective method for calculating
bound-to-continuum cross-sections for charged binary systems by examining
transitions to states above the binding energy that become bound when the
system is placed within an infinite spherical well. This approach is verified
for ionization of a hydrogen atom, and is then applied to the heavy Rydberg
system Li+...I-.
  Part II: A wavemeter previously built in the lab is redesigned for increased
reliability and ease of use by replacing the optical hardware with a rocker
system, which can be aligned in mere minutes rather than half a day as was
previously the case. The new wavemeter has been tested through saturated
absorption spectroscopy of lithium.
