Collisional broadening of Ba I line (553.5 nm) by He or Ar

The Doppler-free line shape of the 6s ^{2 1} S ₀ – 6s ¹6p ^{1 1} P ₁ transition at 553.5 nm in natural Ba in the presence of an argon or helium buffer gas has been measured at 744 K for gas pressures from 0.2 to 100 Torr. Using the measured data for pressures above 5 Torr, the broadening rate coefficients for the half width at half maximum (HWHM) are determined to be (4.9±0.5)10^–9 and (5.0±0.5)10^–9 s^–1 cm^–3 for helium and argon respectively.     

Excitation of the 7s2P1/2, 3/2 levels of Xe+ due to charge exchange in the negative glow of a glow discharge in a neon-xenon mixture

It is shown that in the negative glow of a glow discharge in mixtures of neon with xenon (xenon contents of 5.5·10^–3 to 2% of the total pressure P of the mixture) with P=15 torr and discharge currents i=40 mA (cathode diameter 30 mm), the 7s²P_{1/2, 3/2} levels of the Xe⁺ ion are excited by the charge exchange reaction Xe ^m + Ne⁺ Xe^+* + Ne.The effective cross section Q_3/2 for excitation of the 7s²P_3/2 level is estimated to lie between 10^–14 and 10^–15 cm² and Q_3/26.5 × Q_1/2, where Q_1/2 is the effective cross section for excitation of the 7s²P_1/2 level.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii Fizika, No. 3, pp. 96–99, March, 1979.     

Investigation of highly excited states of calcium by three-photon ionization

The three-photon ionization in Ca from S₀ ground state is studied. The two-photon process is a near -- resonance process with one of the following bound states: 4s4d ¹D₂, 4p P₂, 4s6s ¹S₀, 4 D₂ and 4 S₀ while the third photon reach either directly the continuum or one of the autoionizing states. The succession of bound states as well as the transitions above the ionization limit are discussed. The dynamics of the multiphoton excitation processes is also discussed and radiative decay of 4 S₀ Ca state with two-photon excitation as well as (the measured) decay times of the Ca autoionizing states using the proper line profiles for different quantum numbers has been determined.Received: 29 September 2003, Published online: 18 May 2004PACS: 32.70.-n Intensities and shapes of atomic spectral lines - 32.70.Cs Oscillator strengths, lifetimes, transition moments - 32.80.Fb Photoionization of atoms and ions - 32.80.Rm Multiphoton ionization and excitation to highly excited states (e.g., Rydberg states)     

Infrared absorption of silane,ammonia, acetylene and diborane in the range of the CO2 laser emission lines: Measurements and modelling

Absorption spectra of the gases SiH₄, NH₃, C₂H₂ and of SiH₄/Ar and SiH₄/B₂H₆ mixtures have been measured in the spectral range of the CO₂ laser from 9.2 to 10.8 µm. In agreement with literature, silane shows the highest absorption (absorption coefficient = 3.3 × 10^–2 Pa^–1 m^–1). The deviation of the measured absorption behaviour of silane from literature, as far as the pressure dependence is concerned, can be explained by the enhanced spectral energy density in our experiment. This is confirmed by a rate-equation model involving the basic mechanisms of V-V and V-T energy transfer between vibrationally excited silane molecules. In contrast to silane, the absorption coefficient of NH₃ at the 10P(20) laser line is 4.5 × 10^–4 Pa^–1 m^–1 atp = 20 kPa and has its maximum of 4.5 × 10^–3 Pa^–1 m^–1 at the 10R(6) laser line. For C₂H₂ and B₂H₆, is even less ( 2.1 Ò 10^–5 Pa^–1 m^–1 for C₂H₂).     

Deep bandtail states picosecond intensity-dependent carrier dynamics of GaN epilayer under high excitation

Picosecond carrier dynamics of deep bandtail states (3.1 eV) in an unintentionally n-doped GaN epilayer at room temperature under high excitation densities (i.e., N ₀ = 1.0× 10¹⁹– 1.1× 10²⁰ cm^–3) have been investigated with nondegenerate femtosecond pump–probe (267/400 nm) reflectance ( R/R ₀). All R/R ₀ traces possess a 2 ps buildup time that represents an overall time for the initial non-thermal carrier population to relax towards the continuum extremes and then into the probed tail states. We observe a saturation of R/R ₀ initial (first 10 ps) recovery rate _i at a density of 5– 6×10¹⁹ cm^–3 close to the Mott transition threshold obtained from time-integrated PL measurements. Such a saturation phenomenon has been identified as the trap-bottleneck due to the bandtail states and deep traps. As N ₀ is further increased, _i accelerates due to the onset of Auger recombination as the trap-bottleneck becomes effective. The best fit by the Auger model for N ₀ in the range of the mid-10¹⁹–10²⁰ cm^–3 yields an Auger coefficient of C _a 5.0× 10^–30 cm⁶ s^–1.     

Effective Stimulated Emission Cross-Sections of Poly(Phenylene Vinylene) Copolymers in Toluene Solution

We report optical gain measurements in four different copolymers polyp-phenylene-co-[2,5-dioctyloxy-p-phenylene-bis-2(4-nonyl phenyl) vinylene]nonyl-PpPV, polym-phenylene-co-[2,5-dioctyloxy-p-phenylene-bis-2(4-methyl phenyl) vinylene]methyl-PmPV, polyp-phenylene-co-[2,5-dioctyloxy-p-phenylene-bis-2(4-methyl-phenyl) vinylene]methyl-PpPV, polyp-phenylene-co-[2,6-naphthylene-bis-2(4-nonyl phenyl) vinylene]nonyl-PpPV-NV in toluene. The copolymers are related to poly(phenylene vinylene) and have been synthesized via Horner–Emmons polycondensation reaction. The optical gain determined from the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) intensity is dependent on the excited stripe length. The net optical gain coefficients are found to vary between 0.1 cm^–1 in nonyl-PpPV to 2.5 cm^–1 in methyl-PmPV under nanosecond pulse excitation. The gain for Rodamine 6G was also measured under the same experimental condition and was used to determine the stimulated emission cross-sections for the four polymers and found to be _SE(peak)= 6.7 × 10^–20 cm² for nonyl-PpPV, _SE(peak)= 1.7 × 10¹⁸ cm² for methyl-PmPV, _SE(peak)= 1.4 × 10^–18 cm² for methyl-PpPV, and _SE(peak)= 1.5 × 10^–18 cm² for nonyl-PpPV-NV.     

Laser-induced fluorescence detection of singlet CH2 in low-pressure methane/oxygen flames

Methylene, CH₂, is a chemically important intermediate in hydrocarbon combustion but has previously eluded optical detection in a combustion environment. The CH₂ signal as a function of height above the burner surface in a premixed, laminar, methane/oxygen flame (5.6 Torr and fuel equivalence ratio 1.05) is measured by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) in the B ₁ – ã¹ A ₁ electronic system. The ã state which lies 3165 cm^–1 above the ground state is populated at the high temperatures of the flame (800–1800 K). Although less than one photon for each laser pulse is detected, we can unambiguously attribute the LIF features in the region 450 to 650 nm to CH₂ by both scanning the excitation laser and dispersing fluorescence. LIF temperatures and CH and OH LIF concentration profiles are also obtained for the flame. The CH₂ radical concentration maximum occurs closer to the burner than that of either OH or CH, as expected from models of methane combustion chemistry.     

Shallow acceptor population and free hole concentration in Si: In and Si:Ga with IR-photoexcitation

Hall measurements at low temperaturesT<50 K have been performed on Si:In (N _In10¹⁷ cm^–3) and Si:Ga (N _Ga10¹⁸ cm^–3) with infrared photoexcitation of holes into the valence band. It is shown in quantitative agreement with a theoretical model that the population of shallow acceptors, e.g. B and Al, which are present as impurities in concentrations ofN _B,Al10¹²-10¹⁴ cm^–3 strongly affects the photoexcited hole concentration. Photo-Hall measurements can, therefore, serve as a tool for the determination of low impurity acceptor concentrations in the case of high In- or Ga-doping. Hole capture coefficientsB _In=6×10^–4 (T/K)^–1,8 cm³ s^–1 andB _Ga=2×10^–4 (T/K)^–1 cm³ s^–1 have been determined.     

Photoluminescence and gain spectroscopy of highly excited epitaxial GaN-layers

The spectra of photoluminescence and optical gain of GaN have been measured at low temperatures under N₂-laser excitation.At low excitation levels (I _exc10⁴W cm^–2) we observe free and bound exciton recombination. At intermediate excitation (I _exc10⁵W cm^–2), inelastic exciton-exciton scattering processes show up. At the highest excitation levels (I _exc10⁶ W cm^–2) we report here for the first time the emission from an electron-hole plasma.     

Electrical properties and defect model of tin-doped indium oxide layers

Tin-doped In₂O₃ layers were prepared by the spray technique with doping concentrationsc _Sn between 1 and 20 at. % and annealed at 500 °C in gas atmospheres of varying oxygen partial pressures. The room-temperature electrical properties were measured. Maximum carrier concentrationsN=1.5×10²¹cm^–3 and minimum resistivities =1.3×10^–4 cm are obtained if the layers are doped withc _Sn9 at. % and annealed in an atmosphere of oxygen partial pressurep _O2 10^–20 bar. At fixed doping concentration, the carrier mobility increases with decreasing oxygen pressure. The maximum obtainable mobility can be described in terms of electron scattering by ionized impurities. From an analysis of the carrier concentration and additional precision measurements of the lattice constants and film thicknesses, a defect model for In₂O₃:Sn is developed. This comprises two kinds of interstitial oxygen, one of which is loosely bound to tin, the other forming a strongly bound Sn₂O₄ complex. At low doping concentrationc _Sn4 at. % the carrier concentration is governed by the loosely bound tin-oxygen defects which decompose if the oxygen partial pressure is low. The carrier concentration follows from a relationN=K ₁ ·p _O2 ^–1/8 ·(3 ×10¹⁰ × c_Sn –N)^1/4 with an equilibrium constantK ₁=1.4×10¹⁵ cm^–9/4bar^1/8, determined from our measurements.     

Tunable frequency-controlled laser source in the near ultraviolet based on doubling of a semiconductor diode laser

Continuously tunable ultraviolet laser radiation at 397 nm was generated by doubling the output of a semiconductor diode laser. The fundamental radiation was provided by a 150 mW AlGaAs laser diode injected by a low-power AlGaAs laser diode which was frequency stabilized by optical feedback using a new scheme of a miniature external cavity. Second-harmonic generation was produced in a lithium-triborate crystal placed in a compact enhancement cavity. The fundamental radiation was used for sub-Doppler spectroscopy of the Ar I 4s ³ P ⁰ ₀–4p ¹ P ₁ transition at 795 nm; the second-harmonic radiation was used for spectroscopy of the Ca II 4² S _1/2–4² P _1/2 transition at 397 nm.     

119Sn-mössbauer,IR, and DSC study of tin oxyfluoride glasses

The¹¹⁹Sn-Mössbauer spectra ofxSnO·(70–x)SnF₂·30P₂O₅ glasses (0 x70) measured at 78 K comprised a doublet due to Sn²⁺ (=3.30–3.36 mm s^–1, = 1.70–1.72 mm s^–1) and a weak singlet due to Sn⁴⁺ located at –0.23 mm s^–1 with respect to BaSnO₃. The and of Sn²⁺ were comparable to those of Sn₂P₂O₇. Small Debye temperatures (146 and 155 K) were obtained from the low-temperature measurements. These results indicate that Sn²⁺ and Sn₄₊ occupied interstitial sites, being loosely and ionically bonded to distorted PO_4–x F _x tetrahedra.     

Photoconductivity of highly excited A IV B VI thin films

We report the results of picosecond photoconductivity measurements in photosensitive electrolytically deposited PbS and vacuum evaporated PbTe polycrystalline films. We determine Auger recombination to be the prevailing carrier recombination mechanism in highly excited PbTe and PbS films and found Auger coefficients _A5×10^–28 cm⁶ s^–1 for PbTe and _A5.3×10^–29 cm⁶ s^–1 for PbS for carrier concentration changes N>10¹⁸ cm^–3. The results indicate that the low mobility values are controlled by intergrain carrier scattering. We have studied the thermal annealing influence on picosecond photoconductivity of the films.     

Investigations on the excited states of Eu2+ in CaF2-and SrF2-crystals by two-photon absorption spectroscopy

The two-photon-excitation spectra of Eu²⁺:CaF₂ and Eu²⁺:SrF₂ have been studied at 4.2 K in the region between 24,100cm^–1 and 28,100cm^–1. Besides a broad two-photon absorption region two groups of sharp lines at 27,600cm^–1 and 28,000cm^–1 in Eu²⁺:CaF₂ (27,670cm^–1 and 28,080cm^–1 in Eu²⁺:SrF₂) are identified with the transitions 4f ⁷:⁸ S _7/24f ⁷:⁶ P _7/2,⁶ P _5/2. It is shown that the 4f-states of Eu²⁺ in this host lattice differ significantly in their physical properties from the same states of the isoelectronic Gd³⁺. For these transitions, however, the calculated two-photon absorption rates are in good agreement with the experiments.A project of the Sonderforschungsbereich 65 Festkörperspektroskopie, Darmstadt-Frankfurt, supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft     

Nearest neighbor effect on capture cross sections measured in IR phototransients on Si:In

The extrinsic photoconductive decay at T=20–100 K is analyzed in FZ-grown Si: In material after pulsed irradiation by a PbSSe infrared laser (=4 m). Trapping time constants (=10 ns-100 s) are resolved for the prevalent In acceptor (N _In=10¹⁶–10¹⁷ cm^–3) and for additional shallow acceptors B, Al, and the X(In)-center present at low concentrations (N=10¹²–10¹⁴ cm^–3). Hole capture cross sections determined for the acceptor levels show a large scatter over up to 4 orders of magnitude. It is shown that the capture cross section is dependent on all the dopant concentrations present in the sample due to nearest neighbor interaction. Due to the formation of donor-acceptor dipoles, the capture cross section assumes low values. A model calculation of the interaction based on only fundamental parameters of Si is in accordance with the experimental data within the experimental error. The hole capture cross sections for isolated acceptors are _p=1×10^–12, 1×10^–14, 1×10^–13, 2.5×10^–13 cm² for indium, X-center, aluminum, and boron at the temperatures T=95 K, 100 K, 70 K, 45 K, respectively.     

Detection of chlorinated hydrocarbons via Laser-atomization/Laser-induced fluorescence

Chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHC), photodissociated at 193 nm, are detected with high sensitivity by observing the atomic chlorine fragment via laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). Photofragment emission spectra from CH₃Cl, CH₂Cl₂, CHCl₃, CCl₄, C₂HCl₃, and C₂Cl₄ demonstrate that photofragment fluorescence and chemiluminescence are negligible in the region 700–800 nm where the 3p ⁴4p ⁴ S ⁰ 3p ⁴4s ⁴ P fluorescence from atomic chlorine is detected. There is also negligible interference for photodissociation in Ar, N₂, and air bath gases. Total CHC can be readily detected in air flows at mixing fractions less than 20 ppb and averaging times less than 1 minute. Techniques for considerable improvement in this detection limit are discussed.Supported by the NSF     

Positron mobility in polyethylene in the 60–400 K temperature range

We have determined the positron mobility (₊) in polyethylene samples (67.2% crystalline, glass transition temperatureT _g=151 K) in the 64–400 K temperature range by Doppler shift measurements. A method based on the simulataneous observation of two lines from¹³³Ba and¹³⁷Cs radioactive sources together with the positron annihilation line, was employed to measure the Doppler shift of the 511 keV line as a function of the electric field applied to the samples. With this method we were able to measure at the same time the drift velocity of positrons and theS parameter. This parameter is very important in the interpretation of the mobility trend in samples where the positron states change with temperature. The positron mobility was corrected for positronium formation. ₊ at 64 K is 31.7±0.8 cm² V^–1 s^–1 then decreases up to 123 K, increases at 148 K and decreases again up to 170 K (₊=26.9±0.8 cm² V^–s^–). This sharp change in mobility is centred around the glass transition temperature of our samples. Then the mobility remains almost constant up to 230 K. From 250 K to 377 K, ₊ increases and reaches the value of 38.4±1.0 cm² V^–1s^–1. The corrected experimental data were well fitted by a simple model taking into account scattering and a thermally activated process (hopping mechanism).     

Computational study of collisional energy transfer and quasi-continuous population inversions in laser-pumped Ca vapor

A computational study of population inversion between several pairs of excited states viz 3d4p ³ F-4s3d ³ D, 4s5s ³ S-4s4p ³ P and 4s3d ³ D-4s4p ³ P in Ca vapor pumped on the 4s ^{2 1} S ₀-4s4p ³ P ₁ transition is presented. The main aim is to investigate the influence of various atomic processes in creating and sustaining the population inversion for long times after the excitation pulse. The delicate interplay between superelastic energy transfer to free electrons, energy pooling collisions and cascaded recombination is particulary examined. It is noted that quasi-continuous population inversion can be readily excited on the 4s3d ³ D-4s4p ³ P transitions; and under some conditions, also on the 4s5s ³ S-4s4p ³ P transitions. Furthermore, inversion on the 3d4p ³ F-4s3d ³ D transitions can also be excited for a considerable length of time. The results may be useful in designing and developing quasi-cw metal vapor lasers.     

Perturbations in the Spectra of the Rydberg Series of a Silver Atom

The main series of a silver atom with n = 5–70 are investigated. Perturbations of the np ² P _1/2,3/2 states with n = 10 and 17 caused by interaction with the selfionization 4d5s5p ⁴ P _1/2,3/2 states are detected. Energies of the selfionization states are determined.     

Scaling and performance of CO2 lasers at supra-atmospheric pressure

The performance of a compact uv photo-preionized TE laser is studied in the pressure range 1–5 bar. As the pressure is increased, the laser pulse shape is little altered, but both the peak power and the total output pulse energy increase significantly with pressure, even for constant input electrical energy. For various gas mixtures and excitation source capacitors the measurements suggest approximate output energy scaling with the product of the source charge per unit electrode area [C.m^–2] and the molecular partial pressure [CO₂+N₂+CO]. This is explained in terms of the pressure-dependent discharge impedance. An input-energy-related discharge instability limits the optimum laser pressure to 1.5–2.5 bar, and we show that, at constant input energy, the instability boundary depends on the molecular partial pressure alone. The pre-ionization photo-electron yield varies negligibly with pressure, but the discharge tolerance to added oxygen decreases asp ^–3 top ^–4, dependent on gas mixture. Nevertheless sealed operation for >10⁵ shots has been obtained with a 5% CO₂5% CO3% N₂2% H₂85% He gas mixture at a total pressure of 5 bar.