Blue and infrared stimulated emission from alkali vapors pumped through two-photon absorption

The 5 ²D_3/2, 5 ²D_5/2, and 7 ²S_1/2 states of rubidium and the 7 ²D_3/2, 7 ²D_5/2, and 9 ²S_1/2 states of cesium were populated at low pressure by two photon excitation using a pulsed dye laser. Blue beams from the Rb 6 ²P_{3/2, 1/2}–5 ²S_1/2 and Cs 7 ²P_{3/2, 1/2}–6 ²S_1/2 transitions were observed. In addition, infrared beams were observed arising directly from the pumped ²D states, establishing a collisionless cascade mechanism. Threshold is modest at about 0.3 mJ/pulse or 2×10⁵ W/cm². Slope efficiencies increase dramatically with alkali concentration and peak at 0.4%, with considerable opportunity for improvement. This versatile system might find applications in both underwater communications and for infrared counter measures.     

Frequency shift of the magnetic resonance in 5<Emphasis Type="Italic">s</Emphasis><Superscript>2</Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis><Subscript>1/2</Subscript> rubidium atoms due to spin-exchange collisions with optically oriented cesium atoms

For the case of cesium atoms optically oriented in a mixture of cesium and rubidium vapors, the temperature dependence of the frequency shift of a magnetic resonance excited in a set of Zeeman sublevels for two hyperfine states of ⁸⁷Rb 5s ² S _1/2 atoms. It is shown that, in a weak magnetic field of about 2 × 10^?6 T, this shift is determined by the spin-exchange interaction of rubidium atoms with optically oriented ¹³³Cs atoms.     

On spin relaxation of optically pumped cesium vapour

〈S_Z〉 relaxation of cesium is measured in the presence of foreign gases, using the detecting beam method. From the results obtained in the low-pressure regions calculations for the diffusion coefficient, D₀, for cesium in Ne and Ar yield values of 0.113 cm²/sec and 0.145 cm²/sec at 760 torr and 0°C, respectively. A comparison of our D₀ values with those published previously is made.     

Electric field induced hyperfine level-crossings in (nD)Cs at two-step laser excitation: Experiment and theory

The pure electric field level-crossing of m_F Zeeman sublevels of hyperfine F levels at two-step laser excitation is described theoretically and studied experimentally for the nD_3/2 states in Cs with n = 7, 9 and 10, by applying a diode laser in the first 6S_1/2 → 6P_3/2 step and a diode or dye laser for the second 6P_3/2 → nD_3/2 step. Level-crossing resonance signals are observed in the nD_3/2 → 6P_1/2 fluorescence. A theoretical model is presented to describe quantitatively the resonance signals by correlation analysis of the optical Bloch equations in the case when an atom simultaneously interacts with two laser fields in the presence of an external dc electric field. The simulations describe well the experimental signals. The tensor polarizabilities α₂ (in ) are determined to be 7.45(20) × 10⁴ for the 7D_3/2 state and 1.183(35) × 10⁶ for the 9D_3/2 state; the electric field calibration is based on measurements of the 10D_3/2 state, for which α₂ is well established. The α₂ value for the 7D_3/2 state differs by ca. 15% from the existing experimentally measured value.     

PRECISE MEASUREMENT OF DENSITY-DEPENDENT SHIFT BY WAVELENGTH MODULATION REFLECTION SPECTROSCOPY

The density dependence of the line shift of the cesium D₂ line is studied with sub-Doppler selective reflection spectroscopy. By use of wavelength modulation and sixth-harmonics detection we observed the coefficient of the pressure-induced shift of the 6S_1/2(F=4)→6P_3/2(F'=3) hyperfine transition of the cesium D₂ line Δδ/ρ=-0.9(5)×10^-8cm³. In the limit ρ=0 a frequency shift about -3MHz remains, which may be attributed to long-range atom－surface interactions. The experimental results can be used in measurements of the local field-induced frequency shift at high atomic densities with sufficient accuracy.     

Stark effect,hyperfine structure and isotope shifts in highly excited states of BaI and CaI

The electric dipole polarizabilities of 9 even-parity barium states (6s8s ¹ S ₀,³ S ₁; 6s7d ¹ D ₂,³ D _1,2; 5d7s ¹ D ₂ and 6p ^{2 3} P _0,1,2) in the interval 33,800–35,800 cm^?1 have been measured with high resolution laser-atomic-beam spectroscopy. Simultaneously, values of isotope shifts and hyperfine coupling constants for theJ=1 states have been obtained. Comparison of the experimental polarizabilities with calculated values as well as inspection of the data on isotope shifts and hyperfine structure from the present and earlier work strongly suggests erroneous assignments of theJ=2 states, with an exception for the 5d 7s ¹ D ₂ state. The influence of an electric field on the 3d ^{2 3} P _0,1,2 states of calcium has also been studied. A marked departure from a quadratic Stark effect has been observed at relatively small field strengths. This can be attributed to the large polarizabilities of neighbouring Rydberg states. The low field data allow the determination of admixtures of Rydberg states into the 3d ^{2 3} P-states as small as 0.02%.     

Selective laser pumping of magnetic sublevels in the hyperfine structure of the cesium atom

The evolution of the populations of the magnetic sublevels of the cesium atom (¹³³Cs isotope) in resonant laser fields with linear polarization is analyzed using the equations for the density matrix. Analytic expressions are derived for stationary populations resulting from laser-induced optical transitions on the hyperfine structure components F _g = 3 ? F _e = 2, 3 and F _f = 4 ? F _e = 3, 4 of lines D ₁ (6² S _1/2 → 6² P _1/2) and D ₂ (6² S _1/2 → 6² P _3/2) depending on the initial values of the populations. The numerical solution of the evolution equations gives the characteristic times of stabilization of the steady regime as functions of laser field intensities and detuning from optical resonance. We determine the sequences of optical transitions increasing (by more than an order of magnitude) the population of the lower sublevel 6² S _1/2 F _g = 3 M = 0 of the “clock” microwave transition F _g = 3 M = 0 ? F _f = 4 M = 0 in the cesium frequency standard, which increases the signal intensity in the recording system by the same proportion.     

Resonances at slow electron collisions with zinc atoms and ions

The optical excitation functions of four spectral lines corresponding to the transitions from the 4¹ D ₂, 5³ S ₁, 4³ D _j, and 6¹ S ₀ levels of atomic Zn were investigated with an electron spectrometer of a new construction. For the first time, elastic scattering of slow electrons from the Zn ions at an angle close to 180° was studied. In the energy range under investigation (0–7 eV), both the optical excitation functions of atomic spectral lines and the differential cross section of elastic scattering manifested the resonant structure caused by the contribution of autoionization states of the atom.     

Two-photon spectroscopy of ytterbium

Two-photon laser spectra of the Yb vapor have been obtained. Transitions to highly excited 4f¹⁴ 6sns¹S₀ and 4f¹⁴ 6snd ¹D₂ states are seen in direct two-photon excitation. Hybrid resonances involving 4f¹⁴ 6s6p ¹P⁰₁ and 4f¹⁴ 5d6s ³D₂ intermediate states lead to transitions to 4f¹⁴ 6sns¹S₀, 4f¹⁴ 6snp ³P⁰_2,1 and 4f¹⁴ 6snd ¹D₂ levels.     

Measurement and modeling of work function changes during low energy cesium sputtering

In this paper, a H-terminated silicon wafer was bombarded by low energy cesium ions during ToF-SIMS analysis and work function variations of the target were measured for different analysis conditions. This measurement was performed by measuring the shift of the secondary ions energy distributions with a reflectron type analyzer. At first, the silicon’s work function change was found to be −2.3 eV during 500 eV Cs⁺ bombardment at 45°. This effect is due to the creation of a dipolar layer at the surface of the silicon by the implanted cesium. Then the work function variation was measured at 300 eV for varying cesium surface concentrations. The work function was found to decrease monotonously with the increasing cesium surface concentration, as during cesium adsorption experiments. The results were modeled following three different approaches and the value of the effective polarizability α of cesium was found to be equal to 1.9 × 10⁻³⁹ C m²/V. Finally, the effect of the bombardment energy on the work function variation was studied for beams with energies ranging from 250 to 2000 eV. The effective polarizability of cesium was found to increase with increasing Cs beam energy.     

Study of the Rydberg nd D states of the thallium atom by the stepwise excitation method

The Rydberg nd ² D _{3/2, 5/2} states (n=15–30) of the thallium atom were studied by the method of two-stage excitation with subsequent ionization of the excited atoms by an electric field. The nd ² D levels were populated via the intermediate 7s ² S _1/2 states. The fine-structure splitting was found to be representable in the form of a combination of the terms depending on n*^?3 and n*^?5.     

A high-resolution study of the 14.4-μm infrared band of deuterofluoroform

The FT-IR spectrum of the ν₃ parallel band of deuterofluoroform has been recorded at a resolution of 0.0045 cm^?1. Nine independent spectral parameters were determined which reproduce some 650 observed wavenumbers with a standard error of 3 × 10^?4 cm^?1. The constants derived for the ν₃ band are (in cm^?1): ν₀ = 694.2822(3); B₀ = 0.3309321(9); B₃ = 0.3302464(11); α^B = 6.859(10) × 10^?4; α^C = 1.429 × 10^?4; D₃^J = 3.168(3) × 10^?7; D₀^J = 3.188(3) × 10^?7; D_JK³ = 4.766 × 10^?7; D_JK⁰ = 4.864 × 10^?7; and D_K⁰ ? D_K³ = 2 × 10^?10.     

High-resolution laser spectroscopy of ultracold ytterbium atoms using spin-forbidden electric quadrupole transition

We have successfully observed high-resolution spectra of spin-forbidden electric quadrupole transition (¹ S ₀→³ D ₂) in ytterbium (¹⁷⁴Yb) atoms. The differential light shifts between the ¹ S ₀ and the ³ D ₂ states in a far-off resonant trap at 532 nm are also measured. For the spectroscopy, we developed simple, narrow-linewidth, and long-term frequency stabilized violet diode laser systems. Long-term drifts of the excitation laser (404 nm) is suppressed by locking the laser to a length stabilized optical cavity. The optical path length of the cavity is stabilized to another diode laser whose frequency is locked to a strong ¹ S ₀→¹ P ₁ transition (399 nm) of Yb. Both lasers are standard extended-cavity diode lasers (ECDLs) in the Littrow configuration. Since the linewidth of a violet ECDL (～10 MHz) is broader than a typical value of a red or near infra-red ECDL (<1 MHz), we employ optical feedback from a narrow-band Fabry–Perot cavity to reduce the linewidth. The linewidth is expected to be <20 kHz for 1 ms averaging time, and the long-term frequency stability is estimated to be ～200 kHz/h.     

Experimental determination of the electron screening potential energy for the d(d, n)3He Reaction in ZrD2 and D2O in the ultralow energy region

This work is devoted to measuring of the values of the astrophysical S-factors and electron screening potential energy for a d(d,n)³He reaction occurring at ultralow energies in zirconium deuteride ZrD₂ (3.5–7.0 keV) and heavy water D₂O (2.2–6.0 keV). The experiment was performed on the Hall pulsed plasma accelerator at the TPU Nuclear Physics Institute (Tomsk) with ZrD₂ and D₂O targets produced by the magnetron sputtering of zirconium in a deuterium environment and heavy water freezing-out on a copper support, respectively. A χ ² analysis of the dependence of the neutron yields and astrophysical S-factors for the dd reaction on the deuteron collision energy E revealed that the upper bounds of the electron screening potential energy for interacting deuterons in ZrD₂ and D₂O and of the astrophysical S-factors at the deuteron collision energy E = 0 were U _e (ZrD₂) < 30 eV, U _e (D₂O) < 25 eV, S(0) = (57.2 ± 3.9) keV · b (ZrD₂), S(0) = (58.6 ± 3.6) keV · b (D₂O) at the 90% confidence level.     

Variation of potential energy surface height and bound state depth induced by laser phase along the reaction path in atom-molecule reactions: Application to Li + CH<Subscript>4</Subscript> → LiH + CH<Subscript>3</Subscript>

Laser atom-molecule reaction interaction through polarizability and dipole moment contribution leads to potential energy surface barrier reshaping and bound states along the reaction path. The polarizability is maximum in the transition state. We will show here by using gauge representation (electric field gauge) for wave length λ = 20.6 μm, intensity I = 1 × 10¹² W/cm², I = 5 × 10¹² W/cm², I = 1 × 10¹³ W/cm², I = 3 × 10¹³ W/cm², that we can create laser induced potential energy surface barrier reshaping in the transition state region (–1–0.5 a. u.). We illustrate such effects for the LiH + CH₃ ? Li + CH₄ reaction with a barrier using ab-initio methods for calculating the reaction path, polarizability and dipole moment contribution of the atom-molecule reaction.     

Determination of natural radiative lifetimes and Landé factors for highly excitedF states in cesium

Natural radiative lifetimes and Landég _J factors for several highly excitedF states in cesium were measured using time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. TheF states were excited from the 5² D _5/2 state with a pulse-modulated CW dye laser, and the delayed-coincidence method was employed to record decay curves, which in some experiments exhibited Zeeman quantum beats. A further CW dye laser was used to produce the necessary population in the 5² D _5/2 state. The lifetimes in the sequence 11–16² F _7/2 follow an ^x scaling law withx=2.76 and the Landé factors agree with the predicted value, 1.143.     

Approximation of the electron excitation cross sections for triplet states excited from the 23 S 1 metastable state in helium

The method of approximated four-parameter representation of the electron-impact cross sections for a helium atom excited from the 2³ S ₁ metastable state into higher triplet states is applied and discussed. The approximation consists in interpolation over the whole set of the cross section values for each helium atomic level measured in our experiments and reported by other researchers. The approximation parameters and the cross sections calculated using these parameters for the maxima of the corresponding excitation functions are presented for 19 triplet levels of the S, P, and D HeI series with n=2–10. The interpolated values are compared to the theoretical cross sections. The serial regularities were investigated for the S, P, and D levels studied and a decrease in the cross sections for excitation from the given metastable state within each series, described by the approximate law Q=Cn ^?5, was revealed. Validity of the similarity relationship and the Bethe approximation for cross sections in the 2³ S?n ³ P series was verified. It is shown that the cross sections for a triplet level excitation from the 2³ S ₁ metastable state exceed the corresponding values for excitation from the ground state of helium by a factor of approximately 10³ for n=2 and 3 and 10 2 for the higher levels. It is concluded that the proposed method of representation of the cross sections for the electron-impact excitation of triplet levels from the metastable state increases accuracy and more importantly, reliability of the final results.     

Natural radiative lifetimes in the2S1/2 and2D5/2,3/2 sequences of aluminum

Natural radiative lifetimes have been measured for the 3s ² ns ² S _1/2 (n≦10) and 3s ² nd ² D _5/2,3/2 (n≦11) sequences of aluminum using pulsed laser excitation of an atomic beam. The investigated states were populated from the ground configuration using UV pulses of wavelength down to 210 nm produced by a Nd: YAG- or an excimer-pumped dye-laser system. TheS-state lifetimes increase regularily with increasing principal quantum number but this is not the case for theD sequence.     

Optical absorption spectra and energy levels of Er3+ ions in glassy lithium tetraborate matrix

The optical absorption spectra of Er:Li₂B₄O₇ glasses are studied in the range 200–800 nm. The lines corresponding to the direct f-f parity-forbidden intraconfigurational transitions from the ground ⁴ I _15/2 state to the levels of the excited ⁴ F _9/2, ⁴ S _3/2, ² H _9/2, ² H _11/2, ⁴ F _7/2, ⁴ F _5/2, ⁴ F _3/2, ² H _9/2, ⁴ G _11/2, ⁴ D _3/2, ⁴ D _1/2, and ² D _3/2 states are found.     

Observations of the collision-induced dipole transitions and of a quadrupole transition for barium in krypton

For Ba perturbed by Kr, collision-induced dipole transitions 6s²¹S₀ – 6snd¹D₂ (8?n?10) have been observed. The effective oscillator strength per unit Kr density was found to be 1.8–1.0 x 10^-23 cm³. For the electric-quadrupole transition 6s²¹S₀ -6s6d¹D₂, the oscillator strength is (2.0±0.4) x 10^-6.