Investigations on laser plasma soft X-ray sources generated with low energy laser systems

Spectra of laser-induced plasmas at low laser energies and intensities (around 100 mJ and 10¹⁰ W cm^–2 respectively) have been recorded in the spectral range of 20 to 100 nm for different target materials, laser intensities at the target and laser wavelengths. For heavy target materials, a broadband spectrum with a spectral maximum typically around 30 nm is obtained. This broadband radiation source is well suited for photoionization processes and the generation of short wavelength inner-shell photoionization lasers. For the cadmium-photoionization laser, the influence of different soft X-ray spectra on the laser energy has been investigated. The potential of laser plasma soft X-ray sources for scientific and technical applications is briefly reviewed.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Herbert Welling on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Laser-induced fluorescence of cardiac tissue with calcinosis

Investigations of laser-induced fluorescence spectra for human cardiac valve tissue with calcinosis are performed as compared to similar spectra of bone and myocardial tissue of an animal that are excited by an excimer laser with a 248-nm wavelength. It is shown that a healthy tissue has a laser-induced fluorescence maximum in the region of 300–400 nm which corresponds to protein tissue luminescence. For tissue affected by calcinosis, the laser-induced fluorescence spectra differ significantly from the spectra of healthy tissue and have a maximum in the region of 400–500 nm. The obtained results offer the prospects for using laser-induced fluorescence to diagnose tissue with calcinosis in open-heart surgery. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 64, No. 4, pp. 539–541, July–August, 1997.     

Photoionization of the excited He atom in Debye plasmas

We present theoretical photoionization cross sections for He 1s2s ¹S and He 1s2p ¹P states in a Debye plasma environment by the complex coordinate rotation method, using a finite L² basis set constructed from one electron Laguerre orbitals. The plasma environment is found to appreciably influence the photoionization cross sections near the ionization threshold. In this regard, the photoionization cross sections of isolated He are compared with other theoretical and experimental results. Our results are in good agreement with the previous results. A new minimum appears in the photoionization cross section curve for the metastable 1s2s ¹S state. Results are given for the S- and D-wave partial photoionization for the excited 1s2p ¹P state.     

Radiative lifetimes of highly excited odd-parity levels of neutral lanthanum

New radiative lifetimes of 24 high-lying odd-parity levels of neutral lanthanum are reported using time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence (TR-LIF) spectroscopy. The investigated levels ranging from 34 213 to 40 910 cm^-1 were excited from the ground or metastable states using one-photon excitation. La atoms are produced by laser ablation on a solid La sample. The lifetimes were evaluated from transient LIF signals detected with a fast detection system. The obtained lifetime results, generally with uncertainties less than  ±7%, are in the range from 15.7 to 121 ns.     

150fs～10ps脉宽下熔石英激光损伤的仿真与分析

基于约化电子数密度增长速率方程,建立了熔石英导带电子数密度随脉冲持续时间变化的模型。利用电子数临界密度这一概念,得到了150fs~10ps脉宽下,熔石英激光损伤阈值范围。分析表明,5~10ps,雪崩电离仍然起主要作用,而光致电离提供的初始电子使雪崩电离不再依赖材料原有的初始电子;当脉宽减小到约为4ps时,光致电离与雪崩电离作用相等;之后,光致电离起主要作用。通过仿真出的损伤阈值拟合,得到了该脉宽区间下新的脉宽定律:熔石英的损伤阈值正比于脉宽的0.38次方;考虑温度对熔石英损伤阈值的影响,熔石英的损伤阈值正比于脉宽的0.34次方。     

可扩展到生物医药激光检测的新方法和新技术

可见光波段激光"多色多光子光谱技术"应用到生物样品方面可替代紫外光,因为紫外光容易将生物分子打成碎片而破坏生物分子.可见光波段的激光多色多光子有选择地多步激发同样可达到紫外光所激发的能级位置,甚至可达到更高的激发能位,并不破坏生物样品,分辨率、灵敏度、选择性和探测目标的准确性更高.用一束二倍频Nd:YAG激光(重复频率10次·s-1)同步泵浦三台脉冲可调谐染料激光器、含微通道板组件的飞行时间质谱仪、纳秒示波器和Boxcar等测量了UI的多色三光子共振光电离谱和高时间分辨激光光谱;文章多项创新点在于:首次用激光诱导量子布居的图型法,给出了在三色三光子共振光电离实验中单色和双色三光子共振光电离谱峰产生的原因;解决了如何避免产生单色和双色峰的问题,也就是解决了如何避免产生"假峰"的问题,使多色三光子共振光电离纯度显著提高;在此基础上,不仪将相距很近、能级位置仪差0.642 cm-1、很难分开的铀同位素A和B两个谱峰很好地分开了,而且分别测得了这两个能级的激发态寿命值等.此技术不仪限于铀光谱研究,更重要的是提供了它的通用性新信息.这项基础研究新方法和新技术可扩展到生物和医药样品激光检测和分析研究领域.     

The role of Jahn–Teller ions in the creation of domain structures in lithium niobate

Using tightly focused laser beams, features of space charge fields (～107 V/m) are studied through the photoionization of doped Jahn–Teller Fe²⁺ ions in LiNbO₃ single crystals. These fields can be used for selective formation of the inverse domain state following the additional application of a field with a strength below the coercive field. The characteristics of laser-induced domains and periodic domain structures are studied by laser-acoustic means.     

Laser multiphoton and multistep photoionization of molecules and mass spectrometry

A review of laser-induced photoionization of polyatomic molecules and the application of this process in mass-spectrometry is presented. Combination of laser selective photoionization and mass spectral analysis of fragments as a promising tool for the detection of trace amounts of complex molecules is considered particularly.     

Isotope selective photoionization of calcium using two-step laser excitation

The isotope specific two-step photoionization of metastable Ca atoms was investigated using a continuous wave dye laser and an Ar⁺ laser. The photoionization was performed via a transition to an autoionizing state. Therefore an ionization probability as high as 10⁻² could be obtained.     

High-resolution spectroscopy on ground-state transitions of samarium-I

A high resolution laser-induced fluorescence study has been performed on thirteen ground-state transitions in samarium, using a frequency-doubled Ti:sapphire laser in the wavelength range 350–440 nm. From each spectrum isotope shifts and hyperfine structure constants A and B are derived. The results are used to determine the nuclear parameter λ^AA'.     

Transition probabilities in the C2 ∑+-X2 II system of CH

Relative Einstein emission coefficients are measured for several bands of the C²∑⁺-X² II system of the CH radical, using laser-induced fluorescence in an atmospheric pressure flame. The results are compared with theoretical calculations; a previously calculated ab initio electronic transition moment, together with Morse wave functions, forms an excellent representation of the experimental results.     

Analysis of Solid Catalysts Surfaces Using Laser-Induced Luminescence Diagnosis

Two applications of laser-induced luminescence spectroscopy for characterizing species at low concentrations in Y zeolites are reported. In reduced copper-exchanged NaY zeolites, time-resolved laser-induced phosphorescence of Cu⁺ ions allows the determination of the density of different Cu⁺ sites, while in acidic Y zeolites, adsorption sites of an aromatic base, quinoline, are identified by laser-induced fluorescence.     

三氯乙烯的真空紫外同步辐射光电离和光解离

利用真空紫外(VUV)同步辐射光源和反射式飞行时间质谱仪，在超声冷却条件下对三氯乙烯(C₂HCl₃)进行了光电离研究，通过测量各离子的光电离效率(PIE)曲线，得到了C₂HCl₃的电离势P_I(C₂HCl₃)=9.51±0.05eV，以及C₂HCl₃光解离碎片离子的出现势(P_A)：P_{关键词： 同步辐射光电离 电离势 出现势 三氯乙烯}     

Laser-induced fluorescence and inelastic collisions of KH molecule

The laser-induced fluorescence spectrum of KH vapor, excited by the 4881-Å argon ion laser line, was obtained and analyzed. The transition was found to involve the A¹Σ⁺ and X¹Σ⁺ states. Vibrational and rotational energy transfer is detected. The spectrum presents a clear differentiation of bandheads. The molecular constants obtained are in good agreement with the previously reported data.     

Laser-induced-fluorescence detection of SnO in low-pressure particle-synthesis flames

Ground-state SnO has been observed in a flame for the first time using laser-induced fluorescence. The (18-0) band of the E¹⁺-X¹⁺ transition is used for excitation. SnO is found to rapidly predissociate after excitation, and the tin atom emerges electronically excited, generating a fluorescence spectrum of atomic tin lines. This transition is found to be strong enough to excite in the linear regime, and the discrete nature of the fluorescence spectrum facilitates detection in environments with strong scattering and other interferences. However, quantitative analysis is hindered by a high density of SnO lines due to the many tin isotopes. Spatial SnO profiles in a hydrogen/oxygen/tetra-n-butyltin flame are obtained using this technique, and these profiles are qualitatively similar to metal monoxide profiles in other oxide-synthesis flames. PACS 42.62.Fi; 33.50.Dq; 81.20.Ka     

Laser–Induced Fluorescence Detection of Carbamates Traces in Water

The absorption and fluorescence spectra of carbaryl (CB), carbofuran (CF) and carbendazim (MBC) have been studied. Fluorescence lifetime and fluorescence quantum yields are also reported as well as the influence of pH, solvent and presence of humic acids on fluorescence. The limit of detection (LD) of the three compounds has been measured by direct analysis by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) using a pulsed YAG laser with an Optical Parametric Oscillator (OPO) as excitation source and an Intensified Charged Coupled Device (ICCD) camera for the fluorescence detection. Instrumental LD found for CB, for MBC and for CF are respectively 4, 50 and 1000 ng L⁻¹. In tap water, the LD obtained is 800 ng L⁻¹ for MBC and 20,000 ng L⁻¹ for CF. For CB, the use of a time shift between excitation and emission allows to reach a LD of 20 ng L⁻¹ in tap water.     

Fluorescence saturation measurements of 3-pentanone

The saturation characteristics of 3-pentanone fluorescence were investigated in an ambient temperature and pressure cell by imaging the fluorescence produced by a focused quadrupled Nd:YAG laser beam. The onset of fluorescence saturation was observed at laser fluences around 0.06 J/cm², which is only about 1.3% of estimates that assume a two-level model and use measured values of the fluorescence lifetime and absorption cross-section. A spatially resolved model indicated that the saturation fluence changed only 10% when a Gaussian profile was used instead of a top-hat profile. Laser sources with significantly different temporal profiles will have different threshold fluence levels, but the present results suggest that saturation effects should be monitored in planar laser-induced fluorescence imaging experiments using 3-pentanone.     

Photoelectron spectroscopy of atomic oxygen using the Elettra synchrotron source

Atomic oxygen has been studied using angle resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) and constant-ionic-state (CIS) measurements using radiation from the Elettra synchrotron as the photon source. Relative partial photoionization cross-sections and angular distributions for the O⁺(⁴S) ← O(³P) and O⁺(²D) ← O(³P) ionizations have been measured as a function of photon energy from threshold (13.6 eV) to 19.0 eV. Comparison of the results obtained with recent experimental work performed at lower resolution reveals a number of differences and comparison with results of recent calculations shows the need for the inclusion of coupling intermediate between the j-j and L-S limits in future calculations of photoionization cross-sections and angular distributions. This work has demonstrated the feasibility of and results to be expected from angle resolved PES and CIS measurements on reactive intermediates at Elettra, a third-generation synchrotron source, and further studies on small molecular radicals are proposed.     

Calculation of the photoionization with deexcitation cross sections of He and helium-like ions

We discuss the results of the calculation of the photoionization with deexcitation of excited He and helium-like ions Li⁺ and B³⁺ at high but nonrelativistic photon energies θ. Several lower ¹ S and ³ S states are considered. We present and analyze the ratios R _d ⁺ * of the cross sections of photoionization with deexcitation, σ _(d) ⁺ *(θ), and of the photoionization with excitation, σ⁺*(θ). The dependence of R _d ⁺ * on the excitation of the target object and the charge of its nucleus is presented. In addition to theoretical interest, the results obtained can be verified using long-lived excited states such as 2³ S of He. The text was submitted by authors in English.     

Laser spectroscopy of the 1s22s2p 3P2-3P1 transition in beryllium-like argon using the Oxford EBIT

A study of the 1s²2s2p ³P₂-³P₁ fine-structure transition in beryllium-like argon is planned on the Oxford electron beam ion trap (EBIT), using laser-induced resonance. This transition wavelength was measured previously as 594.373(4) nm, which is accessible using a dye laser. The ions are produced and excited in the EBIT and are confined during laser irradiation using the magnetic trapping mode. The ³P₂ level population is depleted by the laser and by subsequently monitoring the emitted fluorescence a laser resonance signal can be obtained. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.