Collisionally assisted spectroscopy of water from 27,000 to 34,000 cm(-1)

We report here an experimental approach that enables measurement of weak transitions to a wide range of rovibrational levels of water in the energy region 27,000-34,200 cm(-1). We have previously demonstrated the use of laser double-resonance overtone excitation to access highly excited vibrational levels from single rovibrational states. Although this approach simplifies the assignment of the spectra, it strongly reduces the number of observed transitions and hence our ability to test theoretical predictions. Here, we increase significantly the number of observed transitions by allowing rotational relaxation of H2O at intermediate levels of the double-resonance excitation scheme to the levels of the same nuclear spin (ortho or para). Our recently developed semiempirical potential energy surface PES12 enables assignment of the resulting complex spectra and reproduction of the measured transitions with accuracy better than 1 cm(-1).     

Studies on lifetime measurements and collisional processes in an inductively coupled argon plasma using laser induced fluorescence

Lifetimes of excited atoms and ions in an inductively coupled argon plasma are obtained by the laser excited fluorescence technique, and quantum efficiencies are calculated for each species. Thermally assisted fluorescence is measured in order to explain the decrease in quantum efficiency with the existence of other excited levels of the same element near the laser excited level. Finally, a discussion is given on the possible collisional population processes.     

Laser excited atomic fluorescence for studies of enhancement effects in the direct current plasma

This paper reports a preliminary use of laser excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry (LEAFS) to study analyte population enhancement caused by easily ionized elements (EIEs) in the direct current plasma (DCP). Spatial atom density profiles in the DCP were obtained using resonance fluorescence at the calcium atom line at 422.7 nm, with and without the addition of an EIE. Variations in atom density caused by an EIE were found to be far too small to account for the marked enhancements of atomic emission signals which are caused by EIEs.Direct line fluorescence of the barium ion, excited at 614 nm and detected at 455 nm, was used to probe the effect of an EIE on excited state populations. Measurements in the analytical region of the plasma close to the core revealed that enhancements of fluorescence signals at low laser powers disappeared at laser powers which were sufficient to saturate the atomic transitions. While this result does not clarify any of the mechanisms of excitation in the DCP, it does lend support to two of the fundamental postulates of a recent model of the spectrochemical excitation processes in the DCP. These are first, that the analytical region of the DCP is not in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and second, that EIE enhancement proceeds by modulating the rates of power distribution among various plasma zones.In the outer zone of the analytical region of the DCP, depressive interferences occurred. These did not disappear upon saturation which indicates that they were not rate effects but effects that resulted from atom density changes.     

Laser-excited ionic fluorescence spectrometry of rare-earth elements in the inductively-coupled plasma

A pulsed tunable dye laser pumped with an excimer laser is used to excite ionic fluorescence of the rare earth elements in the inductively-coupled plasma. Because several fluorescence lines were observed after laser excitation, it was possible to draw partial energy-level diagrams for most of the rare earths. Non-resonance fluorescence lines were used for all measurements in order to minimize spectral interferences. Detection limits at given excitation wavelengths are reported for each element. Laser-excited ionic fluorescence eliminates the problem of spectral interferences which has been associated with the determination of the rare earths by atomic emission spectrometry in the inductively-coupled plasma.     

Time-resolved electronic Raman spectrum of terbium aluminum garnet excited with visible and UV laser sources

Excitation profiles for the intensities of electronic Raman transitions between crystal field components of the ⁷F₆ and ⁷F₅ manifolds of terbium aluminum garnet are recorded for excitation in the spectral region where absorption bands due to levels of the ⁵D₄ manifold occur. The intensities of the electronic transitions are not enhanced which is thought to be caused by the small values of electric dipole matrix elements of the resonating electronic states in comparison to the values of such elements to other intermediate states which occur in the expression for the scattering tensor. Fluorescence from the ⁵D₄ levels is induced and resonance fluorescence are time resolved with respect to the Raman transitions. We report electronic Raman transitions excited with the 308.0 nm line of an XeCl excimer laser. As opposed to excitation with visible laser sources, transitions are recorded which terminate on all the crystal field levels of the ⁷F_5…0 levels. In addition, fluorescence from ⁵D₃ to the ground state of terbium aluminum garnet is also observed.     

Spectroscopy of highly excited vibrational states of HCN in its ground electronic state

An experimental technique based on a scheme of vibrationally mediated photodissociation has been developed and applied to the spectroscopic study of highly excited vibrational states in HCN, with energies between 29,000 and 30,000 cm(-1). The technique consists of four sequential steps: in the first one, a high power laser is used to vibrationally excite the sample to an intermediate state, typically (0,0,4), the nu3 mode being approximately equivalent to the C-H stretching vibration. Then a second laser is used to search for transitions between this intermediate state and highly vibrationally excited states. When one of these transitions is found, HCN molecules are transferred to a highly excited vibrational state. Third, a ultraviolet laser photodissociates the highly excited molecules to produce H and CN radicals in its A 2Pi electronic state. Finally, a fourth laser (probe) detects the presence of the CN(A) photofragments by means of an A-->B-->X laser induced fluorescence scheme. The spectra obtained with this technique, consisting of several rotationally resolved vibrational bands, have been analyzed. The positions and rotational parameters of the states observed are presented and compared with the results of a state-of-the-art variational calculation.     

Furnace atomization plasma emission spectrometry with He/Ar mixed gas plasmas

The influence of plasma gas composition on the operating and analytical characteristics of a furnace atomization plasma emission source (FAPES) is presented. He I and Ar I excitation temperatures increase 30% in the mixed gas plasmas whereas argon ion excitation temperatures decrease from 33 000 K to 26 000 K in the presence of He. Collisional exchange of internal energy between excited states of Ar and He accounts for these changes. Average analyte ionization temperatures (for Cr, Mn, Mg, Co, Fe, Cd and Zn), derived from the relative emission intensities of their ionic and atomic lines in a 40-MHz 50-W plasma, increase from 5270 K to 6740 K with the addition of Ar to He. Ionic line intensities increase from 10-fold (Mn) to 40-fold (Cd, Zn) with addition of Ar to the plasma while atomic line intensities increase only twofold. Limits of detection remain substantially unaltered for atomic transitions due to increased noise but are improved twofold (Cd) to 24-fold (Mn) for ionic transitions. The analytical advantages and disadvantages of mixed gas plasmas are discussed. The Ne I excitation temperature at 40 MHz and 50 W was determined to be 4330±80 K.     

Atomic and ionic fluorescence dip spectroscopy as a tool for flame and plasma diagnostics

When two pulsed dye lasers are tuned in spatial and temporal coincidence to two connected atomic transitions in a flame or plasma, the resonance fluorescence monitored from the first excited level decreases due to the depletion of the population of that level induced by the second laser excitation step. The monitoring of such a decrease (fluorescence dip) can be shown from simple theoretical considerations to be useful for diagnostic studies and for the evaluation of some fundamental parameters of the atomic transition involved in the second-excitation step. Both steady state and transient behaviour are discussed. The information content of the fluorescence dip is similar to that of the saturated fluorescence signal. However, several distinct advantages are offered by the new technique especially when the level reached by the second excitation step is close to the ionization limit of the atom.     

Sensitive and selective spectrochemical analysis of metallic samples: the combination of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy

In order to improve on analytical selectivity and sensitivity, the technique of laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (LIFS) was combined with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The main thrust of this investigation was to address analytical scenarios in which the measurement site may be difficult to access. Hence, a remote LIBS+LIFS arrangement was set up, and the experiments were carried out on samples surrounded by air at atmospheric pressure, rather than in a controlled buffer gas environment at reduced pressure. Representative for proof of principle, the detection of aluminium, chromium, iron and silicon at trace level concentrations was pursued. These elements are of importance in numerous chemical, medical and industrial applications, and they exhibit suitable resonance transitions, accessible by radiation from a pulsed Ti:sapphire laser system (its 2nd and 3rd harmonic outputs). All investigated elements have an energy level structure in which the laser-excited level is a member of a group of closely-spaced energy levels; thus, this allowed for easy off-resonant fluorescence detection (collisional energy transfer processes). Since numerous of the relevant transition wavelengths are within a narrow spectral interval, this opens the possibility for multi-element analysis; this was demonstrated here for Cr and Fe which were accessed by rapidly changing the tuneable laser wavelength.     

Ultrafast excited-state dynamics of tetraphenylethylene studied by semiclassical simulation

Detailed simulation study is reported for the excited-state dynamics of photoisomerization of cis-tetraphenylethylene (TPE) following excitation by a femtosecond laser pulse. The technique for this investigation is semiclassical dynamics simulation, which is described briefly in the paper. Upon photoexcitation by a femtosecond laser pulse, the stretching motion of the ethylenic bond of TPE is initially excited, leading to a significant lengthening of ethylenic bond in 300 fs. Twisting motion about the ethylenic bond is activated by the energy released from the relaxation of the stretching mode. The 90 degrees twisting about the ethylenic bond from an approximately planar geometry to nearly a perpendicular conformation in the electronically excited state is completed in 600 fs. The torsional dynamics of phenyl rings which is temporally lagging behind occurs at about 5 ps. Finally, the twisted TPE reverts to the initial conformation along the twisting coordinate through nonadiabatic transitions. The simulation results provide a basis for understanding several spectroscopic observations at molecular levels, including ultrafast dynamic Stokes shift, multicomponent fluorescence, viscosity dependence of the fluorescence lifetime, and radiationless decay from electronically excited state to the ground state along the isomerization coordinate.     

Laser induced fluorescence (LIF) of Hg2 and Hg3 via dissociation of HgBr2 at 157 nm

Laser induced fluorescence of the mercury clusters Hg₂ and Hg₃ in the spectral range between 300 nm to 510 nm has been obtained from the dissociation of HgBr₂ at 7.88 eV (157.5 nm) with an F₂ molecular laser, together with fluorescence from mercury atomic transitions from highly excited states. The excitation process involves two photon absorption which dissociates the molecule at 15.76 eV total photon energy with the subsequent formation of the metallic clusters.     

Infrared-microwave double resonance study of the ν4 fundamental band of POF3

Three-level and four-level infrared-microwave double resonance effects have been observed in a POF₃ sample contained in a microwave waveguide Stark cell that was modified to permit transmission of radiation from a CO₂ infrared gas laser. In three-level double resonance experiments laser pumping of rotational states in the ν₄ = 1 vibrational state greatly increased the signal/noise for observation of Stark-shifted rotational transitions in the excited vibrational state. The frequencies of the observed excited state transitions were used to confirm the assignment of laser Stark spectra and to obtain independent measures of the rotational constant B and the dipole moment for ν₄ = 1. The observation of four level double resonances could be explained qualitatively by the assumption of dipole selection rules for collision-induced transitions. However, the intensities of the double-resonance effects could not be explained by this simple model.     

Phase-stabilized two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy

Two-dimensional (2D) spectroscopy is a powerful technique to study nuclear and electronic correlations between different transitions or initial and final states. Here we describe in detail our development of inherently phase-stabilized 2D Fourier-transform spectroscopy for electronic transitions. A diffractive-optic setup is used to realize heterodyne-detected femtosecond four-wave mixing in a phase-matched box geometry. Wavelength tunability in the visible range is accomplished by means of a 3 kHz repetition-rate laser system and optical parametric amplification. Nonlinear signals are fully characterized by spectral interferometry. Starting from fundamental principles, we discuss the origin of phase stability and the precise calibration of excitation-pulse time delays using movable glass wedges. Automated subtraction of undesired scattering terms removes experimental artifacts. On the theoretical side, the response-function formalism is extended to describe molecules with three electronic levels, and the shape of 2D spectral features is discussed. As an example for this technique, experimental 2D spectra are shown for the dye molecule Nile Blue in acetonitrile at 595 nm, recorded for a series of population times. Simulations explore the influence of different model parameters and qualitatively reproduce the experimental results. We show that correlations between different electronically excited states can be determined from the spectra. The technique described here can be used to measure the third-order response function of complex systems covering several electronic transitions.     

Rotational and vibrational relaxation of methane excited to 2nu3 in CH4/H2 and CH4/He mixtures at 296 and 193 K from double-resonance measurements

A series of time-resolved IR-IR double-resonance experiments have been conducted where methane molecules are excited into a selected rovibrational level of the 2nu3(F2) vibrational substate of the tetradecad and where the time evolution of the population of the various energy levels is probed by a tunable continuous wave laser. The rotational relaxation and vibrational energy transfer processes occurring in methane upon inelastic CH4-H2 and CH4-He collisions have been investigated by this technique at room temperature and at 193 K. By probing transitions in which either the lower or the upper level is the laser-excited level, rotational depopulation rates in the 2nu3(F2) substate were measured. The rate constants for CH4-H2 collisions were found to be 17.7 +/- 2.0 and 18.9 +/- 2.0 micros(-1) Torr(-1) at 296 and 193 K, respectively, and for CH(4)-He collisions they are 12.1 +/- 1.5 and 16.0 +/- 2.0 micros(-1) Torr(-1) at the same temperatures. The vibrational relaxation was investigated by probing other stretching transitions such as 2nu3(F2) - nu3, nu3 + 2nu4 - 2nu4, and nu3 + nu4 - nu4. A kinetic model, taking into account the main collisional processes connecting energy levels up to 6000 cm(-1), that has been developed to describe the various relaxation pathways allowed us to calculate the temporal evolution of populations in these levels and to simulate double-resonance signals. The different rate coefficients of the vibrational relaxation processes involved in these mixtures were determined by fitting simulated signals to the observed signals corresponding to assigned transitions. For vibration to translation energy transfer processes, hydrogen is a much more efficient collision partner than helium, nitrogen, or methane itself at 193 K as well as at room temperature.     

The ground-state dipole moment of Bal from high-precision stark spectroscopy

The electric dipole moment of the X²σ⁺ state of Bal was measured using the molecular-beam laser-microwave double-resonance technique. From the analysis of the splitting and shift of rotational transitions in an electric field, the dipole moment of the vibrational ground state was determined as μ = 5.969(6) D (absolute error of the measurement in parentheses). The dipole moment predicted from an ionic bonding model is 6.14 D.     

Theoretical interpretation of electronic absorption and emission transitions in 9-acridinones

Stationary absorption, fluorescence excitation and fluorescence spectra for 9(10H)-acridinone, 9(10-methyl)-acridinone, 2-methyl-9(10-methyl)-acridinone, 2-nitro-9(10-methyl)-acridinone, 9(10-ethyl)-acridinone and 9(10-phenyl)-acridinone dissolved in 1,4-dioxane, methyl alcohol or acetonitrile, as well as the available spectral characteristics reported by others were compared with those predicted theoretically at the semi-empirical PM3/CI (including the solvent effect within the COSMO model) or PM3/S levels of theory, in order to interpret spectral features of the compounds, i.e. the energies and probabilities of S0-->Sn, S0-->T1, T1-->T2, S1-->S0, T1-->S0 and S1-->T1 transitions. Calculations at the PM3 and PM3/CI levels of theory enabled the structural changes accompanying S0-->S1, S1-->T1 and T1-->S0 transitions to be investigated; they yielded, moreover, basic physicochemical characteristics of the molecules in the ground and excited electronic states. Theoretically predicted dipole moments and charge distributions in the S0, S1 and T1 states provided further insight into the nature of electronic transitions in 9-acridinones. The predicted characteristics correlate quite well with the available experimental ones, thus providing confirmation of the utility of theory in predicting the features of electronically excited molecules and interpreting the electronic transitions occurring in them.     

Energy transfer in the d3Pi(g)-a3Pi(u) (0-0) Swan bands of C2: implications for quantitative measurements

Energy transfer effects on dicarbon (C2) d3Pi(g) <-- a3Pi(u) laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectra in fuel-rich acetylene atmospheric-pressure flames have been studied using a combination of two different two-dimensional techniques. Measurements using a picosecond laser system in conjunction with a streak camera allowed determination of typical fluorescence lifetimes of levels in the d state and of population changes introduced by rotational energy transfer (RET) and by state-dependent quenching. Excitation-emission spectroscopy yielded two-dimensional maps containing all excitation and all emission spectra in the spectral ranges between 19 340 and 20 150 cm(-1) (excitation) and from 546 to 573 nm (emission) and allowed unambiguous assignment of all transitions in this spectral region. Our measurements show a comparatively long quenching lifetime (around 2 ns) and dominant effects of energy transfer on shape and intensity of the acquired spectra (90% of the fluorescence stems from levels populated by ET). A pronounced dependence of the total RET on the quantum number of the initially excited state is observed. Vibrational energy transfer (VET) is significantly weaker (only 5% contribution for excitation in the v' = 1 level). Implications for quantitative concentration measurements are discussed, and exemplary spatially resolved profiles in a well-characterized low-pressure propene flame are presented.     

An evaluation of methods for estimating the electron Stark widths of atomic spectral lines

Four methods for the calculation of electron Stark width of atomic spectral lines are evaluated. All methods provide estimates to the same order of magnitude, but no technique is best for all spectral lines. The success of a method depends on the nature and extent of knowledge of properties of the excited state.Use of the appropriate method will allow the computation of a meaningful estimate for the Stark width of any spectral line of interest in an analytical plasma.     

Relative spatial profiles of barium ion and atom in the argon inductively coupled plasma as obtained by laser excited fluorescence

Relative ionic and atomic fluorescence profiles for barium have been obtained in an argon inductively coupled plasma by exciting different transitions with a nitrogen-laser pumped tunable dye laser and measuring the resulting fluorescence pulses with a boxcar averager. Spatially resolved profiles are directly obtained without the need of an Abel inversion procedure, with a volume resolution of approximately 0.2 mm³. The profiles are given along the excitation axis as well as along the observation axis, for different heights above the coil and different input powers. At low heights, the ion profile resembles a hollow pencil with a typical double-peaked, asymmetric distribution, while the atom profile seems to be complementary to the ion profile. Some scatter from water is also evident at low heights.     

Laser intensity effects in fluorescence line-narrowing spectroscopy: Analytical implications

The effect of the laser intensity on fluorescence line-narrowing (FLN) spectra of tetracene in polymer and glassy matrices has been studied. For excitation use has been made of the 457.9 nm and 476.5 nm lines of an argon-ion laser, which have significantly narrower bandwidths than the homogeneous spectral transitions involved. It appears that at relatively low intensities, in the order of 1 mW/mm², already nonlinear absorption effects become visible in the spectrum when excitation in transitions with relatively large absorption cross-sections is applied. This is for instance the case when the 0-0 transition of the molecule is probed. The analytical implications of these saturation effects have been discussed.