Effectiveness of linearization of calibration curves in Zeeman graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A theoretical analysis is made of the effect of analytical line broadening and of non-absorbable radiation in the light source on the shape of concentration curves in Zeeman graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. These results have been used in a systematic study of the effect of spectrometer slit width and hollow-cathode lamp (HCL) current on linearization of calibration graphs for 11 elements: Ag, Au, Bi, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Sb. The effectiveness of linearization throughout the analytical range covered was estimated experimentally on series of 25–30 solutions. Three solutions in each series were used as standards for constructing the calibration graph, the others serving to evaluate the linearization effectiveness. Increasing the slit width and decreasing the HCL current compared to the standard measurement conditions have permitted us to reach a sufficiently high effectiveness of linearization for all the elements studied, with the exception of Ni. The maximum deviation of experimental points from the linear graph under optimum conditions does not exceed 6%. The effect of the Δ parameter used in the computational algorithm on linearization effectiveness is investigated.     

Phenomena Affecting the Equilibrium of Al(III) and Zn(II) Extraction with Winsor II Microemulsions

The extraction of Al(III) and Zn(II) from an aqueous solution with two water-in-oil microemulsions, one containing di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (DEHPA), was investigated to aid the understanding of the role of the extractant and the metal specific characteristics in the mechanism of microemulsion extraction. The extraction of Al with the DEHPA microemulsion increased by a factor of about 10 with respect to that in the conventional DEHPA system, whereas the extraction of Zn was lower than that in the single DEHPA system. Extraction with the DEHPA-free microemulsion was very low, showing that metal ion solubilization was not important in the mechanism of microemulsion extraction. It is proposed that the effect of the mixed microemulsion on the metal distribution coefficient is the result of the balance between a decrease in the complexation reaction yield due to the interaction between butanol and DEHPA, and the adsorption of the metal complex at the macro- and microinterfaces. The former leads to a decrease in Zn(II) extraction and the latter to Al(III) extraction synergism. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Subthreshold tunable OPO: a source of nonclassical light for atomic physics experiments

Received: 11 March 1998/Revised version: 1 April 1998     

Entanglement generated by dissipation and steady state entanglement of two macroscopic objects

Entanglement is a striking feature of quantum mechanics and an essential ingredient in most applications in quantum information. Typically, coupling of a system to an environment inhibits entanglement, particularly in macroscopic systems. Here we report on an experiment where dissipation continuously generates entanglement between two macroscopic objects. This is achieved by engineering the dissipation using laser and magnetic fields, and leads to robust event-ready entanglement maintained for 0.04 s at room temperature. Our system consists of two ensembles containing about 10(12) atoms and separated by 0.5 m coupled to the environment composed of the vacuum modes of the electromagnetic field. By combining the dissipative mechanism with a continuous measurement, steady state entanglement is continuously generated and observed for up to 1 h.     

Quantum polarization spectroscopy of ultracold spinor gases

We propose a method for the detection of ground state quantum phases of spinor gases through a series of two quantum nondemolition measurements performed by sending off-resonant, polarized light pulses through the gas. Signatures of various mean-field as well as strongly correlated phases of F=1 and F=2 spinor gases obtained by detecting quantum fluctuations and mean values of polarization of transmitted light are identified.     

Absolute analysis by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy: Present status and some problems

Recent progress and main problems encountered in the theoretical interpretation of some stages in the spectrochemical analysis by flame AAS with a slot burner and a sharp-line source are reviewed. The effect of “narrowing” of the aerosol stream as compared with the gas stream above the flame front was established theoretically and confirmed experimentally. The resulting theory describing the analyte distribution across the flame permitted to explain many features of these flames, in particular, the effect of sensitivity enhancement in the presence of an excess of matrix. A simple method is proposed for the determination of atomic diffusion coefficients.The results of calculations of the composition and temperatures of flames employed in analytical practice, obtained for a wide range of the fuel—oxidant ratio, were used to determine the capabilities of these flames as to the dissociation of monoxides. Practically total dissociation of almost all elements of the Periodic Table was proved theoretically and confirmed experimentally to occur in the nitrous oxide—acetylene flame. The formation of low-volatile lithium and tin carbides in the presence of carbon was established. This effect accounts for “anomalies” in the behavior of these elements in low-temperature flames.The line shifts Δν_s in flames were measured by interferometric scans of line profiles from a hollow-cathode lamp and flame. The existence of a theoretical relationship between Δν_s and the Lorentz line width Δν_L was confirmed. Calculations of line absorption were generalized to take into account the shift and hyperfine structure of the lines. Systematic errors in these calculations do not exceed 10%.A discussion is given of the major difficulties facing absolute measurements based on this analytical technique.     

Spectroscopy on a modulated magneto-optical trap

We demonstrate a new type of high-resolution two-photon frequency modulation (FM) spectroscopy with cold atoms in a magneto-optical trap. Instead of modulating the probe as in ordinary FM spectroscopy, we modulate the trap itself by FM of the trapping beams. We present theoretical as well as experimental results for both absorption and polarization rotation spectroscopy. Finally, we demonstrate two-photon FM spectroscopy, using the intrinsic phase noise of the trapping diode lasers.     

Quantum memory for images with feedback

A spatially multimode scheme of the quantum memory for light is presented that can be considered to be a thin hologram, whose long-lived spin subsystem of a multiatomic ensemble stores image peculiarities, such as the multimode superposition and entangled quantum states, which is unattainable for ordinary holography. In the recording process, the measurement of polarization parameters of the transmitted light wave and the feedback are used for the action on an ensemble of fixed atoms (obtained, for example, by means of the laser cooling). The information capacity of a quantum hologram with a feedback will considerably exceed that of a spatially singlemode quantum memory.