Absolute frequency measurement and high resolution spectroscopy of In 5sS0-5s5p P0 narrowline transition

We measure the frequency of the 5s²¹S₀-5s5p ³P₀ narrowline clock transition at 236.5 nm, for a single, trapped and laser cooled ¹¹⁵In⁺ ion. In the experiment, an ultra-narrow linewidth laser (<1.34 Hz at 3 s integration time) is used to interrogate the clock transition for high resolution spectroscopy. A linewidth of 43 Hz of the clock transition is observed. The uncertainty of the line centroid is 18 Hz, leading to a fractional uncertainty of 1.4×10^-14. The frequency is measured by using an optical frequency comb referenced to a cesium clock. The transition frequency is found to be 1, 267, 402, 452, 901.265 (256) kHz, averaged over 13 days of separate measurement. The accuracy of 2.35×10^-13 is due to the reference cesium clock calibrated against UTC time. We discuss ways for further improvements.     

Improved absolute frequency measurement of the 115In+ 5s2 1S0-5s5p3P0 narrowline transition: Progress towards an optical frequency standard

We report on an improved absolute frequency measurement of the 5s ^{2 1} S ₀0-5s5p ³ P ₀ narrowline clock transition at 236.5 nm, for a single, trapped, and laser-cooled ¹¹⁵In ion. Using a narrowline laser as the local oscillator, a linewidth of 43 Hz for the transition is resolved. The uncertainty of the transition frequency’s centroid is 18 Hz, leading to a fractional uncertainty of 1.4 × 10⁻¹⁴. For absolute frequency measurement, we use an optical frequency comb locked to a cesium clock as the reference. The transition frequency is found to be 1267402452900967(63) Hz, averaged over 13 days of separate measurements. The accuracy is about 5.0 × 10⁻¹⁴. We discuss possibilities for further improvement. Original Text ? Astro, Ltd., 2007.     

Terahertz absorption spectrum of D2O vapor

The absorption spectrum of D₂O vapor from 0.2 to 2.0 THz (6.7-67 cm⁻¹) which is associated with rotational modes was measured at one atmosphere using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). The linewidth and collisional dephasing times were measured for 26 pure rotational transitions in the ground vibrational state (0 0 0). The temperature dependence of the linewidth (Δν) behaves as Δν ∼ T^−3/4 and the linewidth decrease with increasing temperature is attributed to the 1/r⁶ force of interaction between colliding D₂O molecules.     

Spectroscopic investigations of Nd-, Er-, Er/Yb-, and Tm-ions doped SiO2-Al2O3-CaF2-GdF3 glasses

This paper reports on the absorption, visible and near-infrared luminescence properties of Nd³⁺, Er³⁺, Er³⁺/2Yb³⁺, and Tm³⁺ doped oxyfluoride aluminosilicate glasses. From the measured absorption spectra, Judd-Ofelt (J-O) intensity parameters (Ω₂, Ω₄ and Ω₆) have been calculated for all the studied ions. Decay lifetime curves were measured for the visible emissions of Er³⁺ (558 nm, green), and Tm³⁺ (650 and 795 nm), respectively. The near infrared emission spectrum of Nd³⁺ doped glass has shown full width at half maximum (FWHM) around 45 nm (for the ⁴F_3/2→⁴I_9/2 transition), 45 nm (for the ⁴F_3/2→⁴I_11/2 transition), and 60 nm (for the ⁴F_3/2→⁴I_13/2 transition), respectively, with 800 nm laser diode (LD) excitation. For Er³⁺, and Er³⁺/2Yb³⁺ co-doped glasses, the characteristic near infrared emission bands were spectrally centered at 1532 and 1544 nm, respectively, with 980 nm laser diode excitation, exhibiting full width at half maximum around 50 and 90 nm for the erbium ⁴I_13/2→⁴I_15/2 transition. The measured maximum decay times of ⁴I_13/2→⁴I_15/2 transition (at wavelength 1532 and 1544 nm) are about 5.280 and 5.719 ms for 1Er³⁺ and 1Er³⁺/2Yb³⁺ (mol%) co-doped glasses, respectively. The maximum stimulated emission cross sections for ⁴I_13/2→⁴I_15/2 transition of Er³⁺ and Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ are 10.81×10⁻²¹ and 5.723×10^-21 cm². These glasses with better thermal stability, bright visible emissions and broad near-infrared emissions should have potential applications in broadly tunable laser sources, interesting optical luminescent materials and broadband optical amplification at low-loss telecommunication windows.     

Ultrafast nonlinear optical properties of Bi2O3-B2O3-SiO2 oxide glass

The ultrafast nonlinear optical properties of Bi₂O₃-B₂O₃-SiO₂ oxide glass were investigated using a femtosecond optical Kerr shutter (OKS) at wavelength of 800 nm. The nonlinear response time of this Bi₂O₃-doped glass was measured to be <90 fs. The nonlinear refractive-index n₂ was estimated to be 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁴ cm²/W. Measurements for the dependence of Kerr signals on the polarization angle between the pump and probe beams showed that the Kerr signals induced by 30-fs pulse laser arose mainly from the photoinduced birefringence effect.     

Narrow linewidth light source for an ultraviolet optical frequency standard

We report an ultra-narrow linewidth light source applicable for a frequency standard in the ultraviolet. The laser is a Nd:YAG laser that emits at 946 nm with 300-mW output power. It is locked to a high-finesse cavity. The minimum Allan deviation is 1.3×10^-14 for an integration time of 1 s, which corresponds to a laser linewidth of 2.8 Hz. The cavity drift is measured by a frequency comb and a single-ion spectrum for different time scales. In order to investigate broadening mechanisms due to the fiber transport and doubling systems, the laser light is frequency doubled with two independent systems and compared. The measured minimum beat-note between the two laser fields is less than 1 Hz. By carrying out a high-resolution scan on a trapped single indium ion, we observe a linewidth of 260 Hz on the ion clock transition. Possible reasons for the broadening effects are discussed. PACS 42.55.Xi; 42.62.Eh; 42.65.Ky     

Optical detection of near infrared femtosecond laser-heating of Er-doped ZnO-Nb2O5-TeO2 glass by green up-conversion fluorescence of Er ions

The green up-conversion fluorescence of Er³⁺ ions doped in an nonlinear optical ZnO-Nb₂O₅-TeO₂ glass was observed by using 800 nm excitation from a regenerative femtosecond (fs) Ti:Sapphire laser. The detailed analysis on two fluorescence lines at 526 nm (²H_11/2-⁴I_15/2) and 548 nm (⁴S_3/2-⁴I_15/2) revealed the fs laser heating of the multi-component TeO₂-based glass, which was possibly due to its nonlinear absorption of the host glass via the imaginary part of the third-order optical susceptibility (χ⁽³⁾). The result was compared with that of a Er³⁺-doped aluminosilicate glass under the same irradiation condition. When the fs laser was irradiated to the multicomponent TeO₂-based glass in the power density of 150 TW/cm², the laser spot was heated up to ∼520 K, which however was still less than the glass transition temperature (T_g=688 K). This technique provides a useful sensing method of laser spot temperature even inside transparent materials.     

Accurate rest frequencies of submillimeter-wave lines of H2D and D2H

We re-examined the submillimeter-wave transition frequencies of H₂D⁺ (J = 1₁₀ − 1₁₁ at 372.4 GHz) and D₂H⁺ (J = 1₁₀ − 1₀₁ at 691.7 GHz) to resolve suggested slight difference in velocity (v_LSR) of these species detected in the cold pre-stellar core 16293E recently. Both H₂D⁺ and D₂H⁺ were generated in a magnetically confined extended-negative glow discharge of a gaseous mixture of H₂/D₂/Ar. A combination of small improvements in various aspects of the measurements such as double modulation technique combined with a conventional frequency modulation and magnetic field modulation and more efficient signal accumulation method allowed us to improve signal-to-noise ratio, and thus to determine the transition frequencies more accurately. Both transition frequencies for the H₂D⁺ and D₂H⁺ lines have been thus determined to be 372421.385(10) and 691660.483(20) MHz, respectively. These precise rest frequencies suggest that the v_LSR of H₂D⁺ and D₂H⁺ in the pre-stellar core 16293E are indeed different as indicated in a recent astronomical observation. In addition, in this investigation, another transition of H₂D⁺ which falls in this frequency region, J = 3₂₁ − 3₂₂ transition, has been observed at 646430.293(50) MHz. As H₂D⁺ is a lightest asymmetric-top molecule and it is difficult to predict the rotational transition frequencies by using the effective asymmetric rotor Hamiltonian, any new observation of the rotational lines will be useful to improve the molecular parameters. The molecular constants for the ground state have been obtained for H₂D⁺ and D₂H⁺ by fitting these new measured frequencies together with the combination differences.     

Studies on fabrication of Ag/Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3O10/CdSe heterostructures with electrochemical technique

The Ag/Tl₂Ba₂Ca₂Cu₃O₁₀/CdSe heterostructure was fabricated at room temperature by soft electrochemical processing technique for the first time. The formation of the heterostructure with non-diffusive interfaces was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The crystallite sizes determined for Tl-2223 and CdSe films were 33 nm and 25 nm, respectively. The Tl₂Ba₂Ca₂Cu₃O₁₀ film electrodeposited onto Ag-substrate has shown the superconducting transition temperature T_c at 116.5 K and J_c = 2.1 × 10³ A/cm². These values were found to improve after the deposition of CdSe onto Ag/Tl-2223 films. The effect of red He-Ne laser irradiation on the superconducting properties of heterostructure are studied and discussed at length in this paper.     

Pulsed inductive discharge CO2 laser

A pulsed inductive discharge CO₂ laser with a wavelength of 10.6 μm has been created for the first time. The excitation system of a cylindrical pulsed inductive discharge (pulsed inductively coupled plasma) in the gas mixture of CO₂:N₂:He was developed. The temporal and energy parameters of the laser radiation were investigated. The maximum inductive discharge CO₂ laser radiation energy of 104 mJ was achieved. An average power of 3.2 W was obtained at laser generation energy of 65 mJ and pulse repetition rate of 50 Hz. In the cross-section, the laser radiation had the ring shape with an external diameter of 34 mm and thickness of 4-5 mm. The measured divergence of laser radiation was 12 mrad.     

A narrow linewidth and frequency-stable probe laser source for the <Superscript>88</Superscript>Sr<Superscript>+</Superscript> single ion optical frequency standard

In this paper, we describe in detail a narrow linewidth and frequency-stable laser source used to probe the 5s ² S _1/2–4d ² D _5/2 clock transition of the ⁸⁸Sr⁺ optical frequency standard. The performance of the laser system is investigated with studies of its frequency drift rates and with high resolution spectra of the ⁸⁸Sr⁺ clock transition. The observed short-term drift rates are typically in the range of 10 to 23 mHz/s, and the current long-term drift rate is 13.9(3) mHz/s. The laser stability, after subtraction of linear drifts, reaches 5×10⁻¹⁶ at an averaging time of 3000 s. This high level of stability is attributed for the most part to stabilization of the reference cavity at the temperature where the coefficient of linear thermal expansion crosses zero. An upper bound for the laser linewidth is given by the observation of a Fourier-transform limited resonance of 4.3 Hz (Δν/ν=1×10⁻¹⁴) on the ⁸⁸Sr⁺ clock transition. The effective averaging time during the linewidth measurements was about 100 s.     

Mid-infrared polarization spectroscopy of C2H2: Non-intrusive spatial-resolved measurements of polyatomic hydrocarbon molecules for combustion diagnostics

Polarization spectroscopy in the mid-infrared (IRPS) has been applied to the detection of acetylene molecules making use of the asymmetric C-H stretching vibration at around 3 μm. The infrared laser pulses were produced through difference frequency generation in a LiNbO₃ crystal pumped by a Nd:YAG and dye laser system. By directly probing the ro-vibrational transitions with IRPS, sensitive detection of molecules with otherwise inaccessible electronic states was realized with high temporal and spatial resolution by using a pulsed laser and a cross-beam geometry. Detection sensitivities of 2 × 10¹³ molecules/cm³ (10 ppm in 70 mbar gas mixture) of C₂H₂ were achieved using the P(1 1) line of the (0 1 0(1 1)⁰)-(0 0 0 0⁰ 0⁰) band. The dependence of the IRPS signal on the pump laser fluence, acetylene mole fraction, and buffer gas pressure of Ar, N₂, H₂, and CO₂ has been studied experimentally. The investigation demonstrates the quantitative nature of IRPS for sensitive detection of polyatomic IR active molecules. In order to fully demonstrate the technique for combustion applications, nascent acetylene molecules were measured in a low pressure methane/oxygen flame.     

Spectral properties of Nd-doped Sr3Ga2Ge4O14 crystal

Neodymium doped strontium gallogermanate crystals were grown successfully by the Bridgman technique. The linear thermal expansion coefficients for the c- and a-axes were measured as 5.8 × 10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹ and 6.5 × 10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹. Absorption spectra, and fluorescence spectra, as well as fluorescence decay curves of Nd³⁺-doped Sr₃Ga₂Ge₄O₁₄ crystal, have been recorded at room temperature and used to calculate the absorption and stimulated emission cross-sections. Based on the Judd-Ofelt theory, three intensity parameters were obtained. The luminescent quantum efficiency of the ⁴F_3/2 level was determined to be approximately 73.8% for this material. Compared with other Nd³⁺-doped laser crystals, Nd³⁺-doped Sr₃Ga₂Ge₄O₁₄ crystal displays special laser properties due to its disorder structure.     

Intracavity laser absorption spectroscopy of AuO: Identification of the bΠ3/2-XΠ3/2 transition

The visible electronic spectrum of AuO has been recorded at rotational resolution using intracavity laser absorption spectroscopy. Five vibrational bands have been analyzed and assigned as the (0, 0), (1, 0), (2, 0), (3, 0), and (4, 0) bands of the b⁴Π_3/2-X²Π_3/2 transition of AuO. The molecular parameters for the newly identified b⁴Π_3/2 state are presented.     

Specific mass shift of potassium 5P1/2 state

We have measured the isotope shift between ⁴¹K and ³⁹K in the 4s_1/2 → 5p_1/2 transition at 405 nm using saturation spectroscopy. Our measured isotope shift is 456.1 ± 0.8 MHz, implying a residual isotope shift (sum of specific mass shift and field shift) of −52.7 ± 0.8 MHz. We deduce a specific mass shift of −40 ± 5 MHz, which would imply that the 5p_1/2 state has a considerably larger specific mass shift than the 4p_1/2 state. We have in addition measured the 5p_1/2 hyperfine splitting for ⁴¹K.     

Crystal structure,NMR study,dielectric relaxation and AC conductivity of a new compound [Cd3(SCN)2Br6(C2H9N2)2]n

The crystal structure, the ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and the complex impedance have been carried out on [Cd₃(SCN)₂Br₆(C₂H₉N₂)₂]_n. Crystal structure shows a 2D polymeric network built up of two crystallographically independent cadmium atoms with two different octahedral coordinations. This compound exhibits a phase transition at (T=355±2 K) which has been characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-rays powder diffraction, AC conductivity and dielectric measurements. Examination of ¹³C CP/MAS line shapes shows indirect spin–spin coupling (¹⁴N and ¹³C) with a dipolar coupling constant of 1339 Hz. The AC conductivity of this compound has been carried out in the temperature range 325–376 K and the frequency range from 10⁻² Hz to 10 MHz. The impedance data were well fitted to two equivalent electrical circuits. The results of the modulus study reveal the presence of two distinct relaxation processes. One, at low frequency side, is thermally activated due to the ionic conduction of the crystal and the other, at higher frequency side, gradually disappears when temperature reaches 355 K which is attributed to the localized dipoles in the crystal. Moreover, the temperature dependence of DC-conductivity in both phases follows the Arrhenius law and the frequency dependence of σ(ω,T) follows Jonscher's universal law. The near values of activation energies obtained from the conductivity data and impedance confirm that the transport is through the ion hopping mechanism.     

Investigation of spectroscopic properties and thermal stability of Er/Yb-co-doped Bi2O3-B2O3-Ga2O3 glasses

A series of Er³⁺/Yb³⁺-co-doped 60Bi₂O₃-(40−x) B₂O₃ -xGa₂O₃ (BBGA x=0, 4, 8, 12, 16 mol%) glasses have been prepared. The absorption spectra, emission spectra, fluorescence lifetime of Er³⁺:⁴I_13/2 level and thermal stability were measured and investigated. Three Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters Ω_t (t=2,4,6) (Ω₂=(4.67-5.93)×10⁻²⁰ cm², Ω₄=(1.50-1.81)×10⁻²⁰ cm², Ω₆=(0.92-1.17)×10⁻²⁰ cm²) of Er³⁺ ions were calculated by Judd-Ofelt theory. It is found that the Ω₆ first increases with the increase of Ga₂O₃ content from 0 to 8 mol% and then decreases, which is mainly affected by the number of non-bridging oxygen ions of the glass network. The high peak of stimulated emission cross-section () of Er³⁺: ⁴I_13/2→⁴I_15/2 transition were obtained according to McCumber theory and broad full width at half maximum (FWHM=69-76 nm) of the ⁴I_13/2→⁴I_15/2 transition of Er³⁺ ions were measured. The results indicate that these new BBGA glasses can be used as a candidate host material for potential broadband optical amplifiers.     

Photoinduced second-order optical susceptibilities of Er2O3 doped TeO2-GeO2-PbO glasses

Second-order optical susceptibilities were established in the optically poled erbium doped tellurite glasses near the melting temperature. The non-linear optical susceptibility was formed by bicolor coherent optical treatment performed by two coherent laser beams originated from 50 ps Nd-YAG laser (λ = 1.32 μm) exciting the high pressure hydrogen laser cell emitting at 1907 nm. The non-centrosymmetric grating of the medium was created by coherent superposition of the fundamental laser illumination at 1907 nm and the doubled frequency one at 953.5 nm. The maximally all-optically poled SHG occurs for 2% doped Er₂O₃ (in weighting units) TeO₂-GeO₂-PbO glass. It was found that the photoinduced SHG demonstrates a saturation during the photo-treatment of 9-10 min using the two beams polarized at angle about 45° between them. During the coherent bicolor optical treatment it was achieved the value of second-order susceptibility up to 3.6 pm/V at 1907 nm. The optimal ratio between the fundamental beam with power density about 1.1 GW/cm² and writing doubled frequency seeding beam about 0.015 GW/cm² corresponds to the maximal of photoinduced SHG. For glasses with lower concentration of Er₂O₃, the relaxation of the second-order optical susceptibility is substantially longer and achieves SHG value that corresponds to 80% of the maximal ones. It is necessary to emphasize that efficient optically-poled grating exists only within the narrow temperature range near the glassing temperature. Possible physical mechanisms of the phenomenon observed are discussed. Generally the used glasses possess better parameters than early investigated germinate glasses.     

Dielectric relaxation in single crystal NH4H2PO4 in the high-temperature regime

The dispersion curves of the dielectric response in single crystal NH₄H₂PO₄ were obtained in the radio frequency range and below the high-temperature transition at T_p−160 °C. The results reveal dielectric relaxation at low frequency, which is about 10⁵ Hz at 70 °C, and it shifts to higher frequencies (∼3×10⁶ Hz) as the temperature increases. The relaxation frequency was determined from the peak obtained in the imaginary part of the permittivity as well as from the derivative of the real part of the permittivity. The activation energy E_a=0.55 eV, obtained from the relaxation frequency is very close to that derived from the dc conductivity. We suggest that this dielectric relaxation could be due to the proton jump and phosphate reorientation that cause distortion and change the local lattice polarizability inducing dipoles like      

A comparative study of continuous laser operation on the F3/2-I9/2 transitions of Nd:GdVO4 and Nd:YVO4 crystals

A comparative study of Nd:GdVO₄ and Nd:YVO₄ crystal lasers pumped by a fiber-coupled diode array has been conducted at the ⁴F_3/2-⁴I_9/2 transitions wavelengths of 912 nm and 914 nm, as well as when intracavity frequency-doubled to 456 nm and 457 nm, respectively. At the fundamental wavelength of 912 nm and second harmonic wavelength of 456 nm, maximum output powers from the Nd:GdVO₄ crystal laser were 7.85 W and 4.6 W at a pump power of 29 W. All the results obtained from Nd:GdVO₄ were superior to those of Nd:YVO₄, indicating that Nd:GdVO₄ is a more efficient laser crystal than Nd:YVO₄ for laser operation on the ⁴F_3/2-⁴I_9/2 transitions.