Frequency measurements in the b <Superscript>3</Superscript>Π(0<Subscript>u</Subscript><Superscript>+</Superscript>) - X <Superscript>1</Superscript>Σ<Subscript>g</Subscript><Superscript>+</Superscript> system of K<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Absolute transition frequencies of the b ³Π(0_u ⁺) - X ¹Σ_g ⁺ system of K₂ were measured in a molecular beam with Lamb dip absorption spectroscopy applying a frequency comb from a femtosecond pulsed laser. Both, K atoms and K₂ molecules are present in the beam and are expected to interact by collisions. The atoms can be deflected optically out of the beam, and thus the collision rate between K atoms and K₂ molecules is changed by about an order of magnitude. The molecular transition frequencies for low collisional rate are compared with those for high one. Limits for the collisional frequency shift within the beam are determined.     

Photoelectron angular distributions of molecules in bichromatic laser fields of circular polarization

Photoelectron angular distributions (PADs) from above-threshold ionization of O₂ and N₂ molecules irradiated by a bichromatic laser field of circular polarization are studied. The bichromatic laser field is specially modulated such that it can be used to mimic a sequence of one-cycle laser pulses. The PADs are greatly affected by the molecular alignment, the symmetry of the initial electronic distribution, and the carrier-envelope phase of the laser pulses. Generally, the PADs do not show any symmetry, and become symmetric about an axis only when the symmetric axis of laser field coincides with the symmetric axis of molecules. This study shows that the few-cycle laser pulses can be used to steer the photoelectrons and perform the selective ionization of molecules.     

Calculation of adiabatic potentials of Li<Subscript>2</Subscript><Superscript>+</Superscript>

We report adiabatic potential energy curves of the Li₂ ⁺ molecule. Our curves are tabulated according to internuclear distance from 2 a₀ to 100 a₀. We compare our theoretical results with the ones calculated by other authors and potential energy curves derived from experiments. For the ground state and 17 excited states we calculate spectroscopic parameters and compare them with parameters obtained by other authors. For the first time we present three new minima for 3²Σ_u ⁺, 4²Σ_u ⁺ and 2²Π_g excited states. In our approach we use the configuration interaction method where only the valence electrons of Li atoms are treated explicitly. The core electrons are represented by pseudopotential. All calculations are performed by means of MOLPRO program package.     

O<Subscript>2</Subscript> photodesorption from a Ag<Subscript>8</Subscript>O<Stack><Subscript>2</Subscript><Superscript>-</Superscript></Stack> cluster

The decay path of an Ag₈(O₂)^- cluster photoexcited by a 3.1 eV photon is elucidated using time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. Photoabsorption results in the formation of an excited state giving rise to a peak in the photoelectron spectra with well-resolved vibrational finestructure. With a lifetime of about 100 fs this bound state decays into an anti-bonding state which dissociates into O₂ and Ag₈^- on a timescale of 10 ps. In the photoelectron spectra, this corresponds to a broad maximum shifting gradually towards higher binding energy while the O₂ and Ag₈^- separate. Finally, the spectrum of bare Ag₈^- appears. This process is unique to small clusters, because on metal surfaces excited state lifetimes are too short to allow for direct dissociation.     

Multiphoton ionization of iodine atoms and CF<Subscript> 3</Subscript>I molecules by XeCl laser radiation

We report about effective ionization of iodine atoms and CF₃I molecules under the action of intense XeCl laser radiation (308 nm). The only ion fragment resulting from the irradiation of the CF₃I molecules is the I⁺ ion. We have studied the influence of the intensity, spectral composition, and polarization of the laser radiation used on the intensity of the ion signal and the shape of its time-of-flight peak. Based on the analysis of the results obtained, we have suggested the mechanism of this effect. The conclusion drawn is that the ionization of the iodine atoms by the ordinary XeCl laser with a nonselective cavity results from a three- (2 + 1)-photon REMPI process. This process is in turn due to the presence of accidental two-photon resonances between various spectral components of the laser radiation and the corresponding intermediate excited states of the iodine atom. The probability of ionization of the atoms from their ground state I(²P_3/2) by the radiation of the ordinary XeCl laser is more than two orders of magnitude higher than the probability of their ionization from the metastable state I^*(²P_1/2). The ionization of the CF₃I molecules by the XeCl laser radiation occurs as a result of a four-photon process involving the preliminary one-photon dissociation of these molecules and the subsequent (2 + 1)-photon REMPI of the resultant neutral iodine atoms.     

A miniature tunable TEA CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> laser using isotope <Superscript>13</Superscript>C<Superscript>16</Superscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript> and <Superscript>12</Superscript>C<Superscript>16</Superscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript>

A miniature tunable TEA CO₂ laser using isotope ¹³C¹⁶O₂ as the active medium is developed to extend the spectral range of CO₂ lasers for further application. The optimization of the energy parameters of the tunable TEA ¹³C¹⁶O₂ laser and the same laser using ¹²C¹⁶O₂ are studied. When a gas mixture (¹³C¹⁶O₂: N₂: He = 1: 1: 3) at a total pressure of 6.4 × 10⁴ Pa is used, the TEA ¹³C¹⁶O₂ laser of a 45-cm³ active volume obtains 51 emission lines in the [00⁰1–10⁰0] and [00⁰1–02⁰0] bands. The maximum pulse energy of the TEA ¹³C¹⁶O₂ laser is about 357 mJ. The same laser using the conventional gas mixture (¹²C¹⁶O₂: N₂: He = 1: 1: 3) at a pressure of 6.66 × 10⁴ Pa is measured to obtain 69 laser emission lines and the maximum pulse energy of laser radiation is about 409 mJ.     

Line shape parameters study of the 6p7p (<Superscript>1</Superscript>P<Subscript>1</Subscript>, <Superscript>3</Superscript>D<Subscript>1</Subscript> and <Superscript>3</Superscript>P<Subscript>1</Subscript>): Autoionizing resonances in barium

We report a systematic line shape analysis study of the 6p7p configuration based ¹P₁, ³D₁ and ³P₁ autoionizing resonances in barium using a Nd:YAG pumped dye laser system in conjunction with a thermionic diode ion detector. The even parity isolated autoionizing resonances have been approached via four intermediate states 6 snp ¹P₁ (6 ≤n ≤8) and 5d6p ¹P₁. A comparison of the Fano parameters of the resonance profiles reveals that the width of an autoionizing resonance is independent of the excitation path while the line profile parameter changes with the selection of different intermediate states.     

Kinetics of Rb<Stack><Subscript>2</Subscript><Superscript>+</Superscript></Stack> and Rb<Superscript>+</Superscript> formation in laser-excited rubidium vapor

We have studied the formation of the molecular ion Rb₂⁺ and the atomic ion Rb⁺. These are created in laser excited rubidium vapor at the first resonance, 5s–5p and 5p-nl transitions. A theoretical model is applied to this interaction to explain the time evolution and the laser-power dependence of the population density of Rb⁺ and Rb₂⁺. A set of rate equations which describe: the temporal variation of the population density of the excited states; the atomic ion density; and the electron density, were solved numerically under the experimental conditions of Barbier and Cheret. In their experiment the Rb concentration was 1×10¹³cm⁻³ and the laser power was taken to be 50–500 mW at vapor temperature = 450 K. The results showed that the main processes for producing Rb₂⁺ are associative ionization and Hornbeck-Molnar ionization. The calculations have also showed that, the atomic ions Rb⁺ are formed through the Penning Ionization (PI) and photoionization processes. Moreover, a reasonable agreement between the experimental results and our calculations for the ion currents of the Rb⁺ and Rb₂⁺ is obtained.      

Isotopomer selective optimization of <Superscript>39</Superscript>K<Superscript>85</Superscript>Rb<Superscript>+</Superscript> and <Superscript>41</Superscript>K<Superscript>87</Superscript>Rb<Superscript>+</Superscript> using optimal control

We report on isotope selective three-photon ionization of two isotopomers of KRb by applying evolution strategies. The particularity of this experiment is based on the high resolution phase and amplitude modulation of the fs-laser pulses provided by a 2 × 640 pixel pulse shaper. The optimization in a closed feedback loop performed with spectrally broad pulses centered at 840 nm shows high enhancements of one isotopomer at the expense of the other isotopomer and vice versa. From the optimal laser field we aim to gain details about the selective ionization sequence and the wavepacket evolution on the involved vibrational states.     

Room-temperature diode-pumped Yb<Superscript>3+</Superscript>-doped LiYF<Subscript>4</Subscript> and KYF<Subscript>4</Subscript> lasers

We present a comparative analysis on the growth, the spectroscopic features, and the cw laser action of room-temperature Yb(5%):LiYF₄ (YLF) and Yb(10%):KYF₄ (KYF) crystals. Optical slope efficiencies of 33% and 52% have been demonstrated for Yb:YLF and Yb:KYF crystals, respectively. A remarkable wide wavelength tunability from 1.01 to 1.07 μm has been obtained for both laser crystals.     

Description of the torsional motion in the isotopically asymmetric ionic complexes ArH<Subscript>2</Subscript>D<Superscript>+</Superscript> and ArD<Subscript>2</Subscript>H<Superscript>+</Superscript>

The internal dynamics of the isotopically asymmetric ionic complexes ArH₂D⁺ and ArD₂H⁺ is considered to be a distorted dynamics of the isotopically symmetric ArH₃⁺ complex. By using the group chain methods, a rigorous algebraic model is constructed to describe the spectrum of the asymmetric complexes with an allowance for the torsional motion of the structure of hydrogen nuclei. The model is based on the geometrical group of symmetry of internal dynamics of the isotopically symmetric ionic complex, which is used here as a noninvariant group.     

Lasing Yb<Superscript>3+</Superscript> in crystals with a wavelength dependence anisotropy displayed from La<Subscript>2</Subscript>CaB<Subscript>10</Subscript>O<Subscript>19</Subscript>

We report spectroscopic and laser properties for propagation directions outside the principal axes of Yb³⁺-doped low symmetry laser crystals with a special devotion to the wavelength dependence anisotropy. We illustrate our report with experimental data in the 900–1075 nm range of wavelengths from the Yb³⁺:La₂CaB₁₀O₁₉ monoclinic crystal excited under laser diode pumping at 975 nm. This study, which makes easier the realization of Yb³⁺ lasers with an efficient free-running operation at the wavelength having the highest emission intensity or at a specified wavelength, or emitting two frequencies with a specified frequency difference, is of promising interest for applications.     

Comparative spectroscopic and laser properties of Yb<Superscript>3+</Superscript>-doped CaF<Subscript>2</Subscript>, SrF<Subscript>2</Subscript> and BaF<Subscript>2</Subscript> single crystals

We present the spectroscopic properties and room-temperature cw tunable laser operation of Yb³⁺-doped CaF₂, SrF₂ and BaF₂ single crystals grown and studied in the same conditions. Emission cross sections, lifetimes, laser thresholds, laser slope efficiencies and laser wavelength tuning ranges are compared. It appears that Yb³⁺-doped BaF₂ might be more promising for diode-pumped high power laser operation. PACS 42.55.Rz; 42.70.Hj     

Spectroscopic properties of Nd<Superscript>3+</Superscript>:CaNb<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>6</Subscript> crystal

The absorption spectra, fluorescence spectrum and fluorescence decay curve of Nd³⁺ ions in CaNb₂O₆ crystal were measured at room temperature. The peak absorption cross section was calculated to be 6.202×10⁻²⁰ cm² with a broad FWHM of 7 nm at 808 nm for E//a light polarization. The spectroscopic parameters of Nd³⁺ ions in CaNb₂O₆ crystal have been investigated based on Judd-Ofelt theory. The parameters of the line strengths Ω _t are Ω ₂=5.321×10⁻²⁰ cm²,Ω ₄=1.734×10⁻²⁰ cm²,Ω ₆=2.889×10⁻²⁰ cm². The radiative lifetime, the fluorescence lifetime and the quantum efficiency are 167 μs, 152 μs and 91%, respectively. The fluorescence branch ratios are calculated to be β ₁=36.03%,β ₂=52.29%,β ₃=11.15%,β ₄=0.533%. The emission cross section at 1062 nm is 9.87×10⁻²⁰ cm².     

Up-conversion emissions of Er<Superscript>3+</Superscript>-Yb<Superscript>3+</Superscript> codoped Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> nanoparticles by the arc discharge synthesis method

The Er³⁺-Yb³⁺ codoped Al₂O₃ nanoparticles with an average particle size of about 50 nm have been synthesized by an arc discharge synthesis method. The green and red up-conversion emissions centered at about 526, 547 and 677 nm, corresponding respectively to the ²H_11/2→⁴I_15/2, ⁴S_3/2→⁴I_15/2 and ⁴F_9/2→⁴I_15/2 transitions of Er³⁺, were detected by a 978-nm semiconductor laser diode excitation. The Annealing has evident effect on the up-conversion emissions of the samples: The red up-conversion emission is noticeable before annealing; however, the green up-conversion emission becomes predominant after annealing. The mixture of (Er,Yb)₃Al₅O₁₂ and α-(Al,Er,Yb)₂O₃ phases is more favorable for green up-conversion emissions due to an enhancement of the ESA (I) of ⁴I_11/2+a photon→⁴F_7/2 and ET (III) of ²F_5/2(Yb³⁺)+⁴I_11/2(Er³⁺)→²F_7/2(Yb³⁺)+⁴F_7/2(Er³⁺) processes. The two-photon absorption up-conversion process is involved in the green and red up-conversion emissions. The results have proved that arc discharge synthesis is a new promising preparation technology for optical materials. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10804015), the Scientific Research Foundation for Doctor of Liaoning Province (Grant No. 20071095), and the Educational Committee Foundation of Liaoning Province (Grant No. 2008123)     

Photodesorption of O<Subscript>2</Subscript> from Ag<Subscript>2</Subscript><Superscript>-</Superscript>: A time-resolved study of Ag<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript><Superscript>-</Superscript>

We present time-resolved photoelectron spectra of mass-selected Ag₂O₂ anions. The anions are photoexcited by photons with an energy of 3.1 eV, and photoelectron spectra of the excited species Ag₂O₂ ^{- *} and the subsequently appearing fragments are recorded using a probe laser pulse with a photon energy of 1.5 eV. The excited state of Ag₂O₂ ^- has a short lifetime of 130 fs±70 fs only and decays by direct photodesorption of O₂. The data demonstrate the ability of time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (TR-PES) to observe the breaking of chemical bonds if the decay process of the excited state is direct (non-thermal desorption). The data are compared to recent results of a NeNePo experiment [1] on the same system. PACS 68.43.Tj; 78.47.+p; 33.80.Eh; 36.40.-c     

Passive Q-switching of a laser-diode-pumped intracavity-frequency-doubling Nd:Nd<Superscript>3+</Superscript>:NaY(WO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>/KTP laser with Cr<Superscript>4+</Superscript>:YAG saturable absorber

Nd³⁺:NaY(WO₄)₂, known as Nd:NYW, is a new type crystal. By using laser-diode as pump source, a passive Q-switching of intracavity-frequency-doubling Nd:NYW/KTP laser has been realized with Cr⁴⁺:YAG saturable absorber. The dependence of pulse repetition rate, pulse energy, pulse width, and peak power on incident pump power for different small-signal transmissions of Cr⁴⁺:YAG are measured. The coupled rate equations are used to simulate the Q-switched process of laser, and the numerical solutions agree with the experimental results.     

Large optical nonlinearity in CaCu<Subscript>3</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>4</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> thin films

CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) thin films were successfully prepared on LaAlO₃ substrates by pulsed laser deposition technique. We measured the nonlinear optical susceptibility of the thin films using Z-scan method at a wavelength of 532 nm with pulse durations of 25 ps and 7 ns. The large values of the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility, χ ⁽³⁾, of the CCTO film were obtained to be 2.79×10⁻⁸ esu and 3.30×10⁻⁶ esu in picosecond and nanosecond time regimes, respectively, which are among the best results of some representative nonlinear optical materials. The origin of optical nonlinearity of CCTO films was discussed. The results indicate that the CCTO films on LaAlO₃ substrates are promising candidate materials for applications in nonlinear optical devices.     

VUV luminescence of Er<Superscript>3+</Superscript> ions in LiYF<Subscript>4</Subscript> and BaY<Subscript>2</Subscript>F<Subscript>8</Subscript> crystals

Vacuum ultraviolet luminescence of Er³⁺ ions in LiYF4 and BaY₂F₈ crystals has been investigated. It is revealed that under excitation by 193 nm radiation from an ArF excimer laser the interconfigurational 5d–4f radiative transitions in Er³⁺ ions are observed. It is shown that from the LiYF₄:Er crystal only the spin-forbidden luminescence (λ = 165 nm) is detected, whereas both the spin-forbidden (λ = 169 nm) and spin-allowed (λ = 160.5 nm) components are observed from the BaY₂F₈:Er crystal.     

Spectral properties of neodymium in POCl<Subscript>3</Subscript>-BCl<Subscript>3</Subscript>-Nd<Superscript>3+</Superscript>

We measured the absorption and luminescence spectra of Nd³⁺ ions in an inorganic solvent POCl₃-BCl₃. The spectra were analyzed in terms of the Judd-Ofelt theory. We calculated the Judd-Ofelt parameters, oscillator strengths, spontaneous emission probabilities, luminescence quantum yield, and the stimulated emission cross section for the laser transition ⁴ F _3/2 → ⁴ I _11/2 of the neodymium ion in a POCl₃-BCl₃-Nd³⁺ solution.