Spectral measurement of the caesium D2 line with a tunable heterodyne interferometer

The optical properties of a caesium atomic beam driven on a resonant hyperfine transition in the D₂ line were studied as a function of the probe laser frequency. Using a third off-resonant laser system, a heterodyne interferometer allowed simultaneous absorption and phase shift measurements of either the probe or the coupling laser. The signal features of the probe and coupling laser transmitted intensities showed strong differences in the vicinity of the hyperfine transitions excited by the probe laser. Regular absorption signals and electromagnetically induced transparency were found in either transmitted intensities. Furthermore, light induced birefringence of the probe laser was measured.     

Li2 Autler-Townes分裂的实验观察

用光学-光学双共振激光光谱研究了 7Li2A 1Σ+u态的Autler-Townes (A-T) 分裂.一个强的耦合场 (泵浦激光)激发 7Li2A 1Σ+u v′, J′← X 1Σ+g v″, J″跃迁,诱发A 1Σ+u v′, J′能级和 X 1Σ+gv″, J″能级的A-T分裂.另一个探测激光从A 1Σ+u v′,J′能级进一步激发到4 1Σ+g态.扫描探测激光,监测4 1Σ+g态碰撞诱导紫色荧光,从而探测A 1Σ+u v′, J′能级的A-T分裂.当耦合场频率偏离共振时,激发光谱线出现双重分裂.在该实验条件下,分裂大小和泵浦激光频率偏离共振频率的失谐量成正比. 研究了A-T分裂的两条线的相对强度与泵浦、探测光的强度及缓冲气体压力的关系.     

Mechanism of enhancement in absorbance of vibrational bands of adsorbates at a metal mesh with subwavelength hole arrays

We have investigated the mechanism of enhanced absorption intensities of vibrational bands of adsorbates on copper meshes with subwavelength holes by measuring and simulating temporal profiles of infrared pulses transmitted through the meshes. As reported previously [Williams et al., J. Phys. Chem. B, 2003, 107, 11871], the absorption intensities of CH stretching bands of alkanethiolate adsorbed on the mesh increase substantially with decreasing hole size. The enhancements of absorption intensities are associated with temporal delays of infrared pulses transmitted through the mesh. Finite difference time domain calculations reproduce the observed pulse delays as a function of hole size. These facts indicate that the delays of transmitted pulses are not caused by coupling of infrared radiation to surface plasmon polaritons propagating on the front and rear surfaces of the mesh, but they are caused by the reduction in group velocity owing to coupling to waveguide modes of mesh holes. Consequently, the strong enhancements of the absorption intensities are attributed to adsorbates inside the holes rather than to those on the mesh surfaces that have been proposed previously.     

Photochemical primary process of photo-Fries rearrangement reaction of 1-naphthyl acetate as studied by MFE probe

Photo-Fries rearrangement reactions of 1-naphthyl acetate (NA) in n-hexane and in cyclohexane were studied by the magnetic field effect probe (MFE probe) under magnetic fields (B) of 0 to 7 T. Transient absorptions of the 1-naphthoxyl radical, T-T absorption of NA, and a short-lifetime intermediate (τ = 24 ns) were observed by a nanosecond laser flash photolysis technique. In n-hexane, the yield of escaped 1-naphthoxyl radicals dropped dramatically upon application of a 3 mT field, but then the yield increased with increasing B for 3 mT < B≤ 7 T. These observed MFEs can be explained by the hyperfine coupling and the Δg mechanisms through the singlet radical pair. The fact that MFEs were observed for the present photo-Fries rearrangement reaction indicates the presence of a singlet radical pair intermediate with a lifetime as long as several tens of nanoseconds.     

Sub-Doppler spectra of infrared hyperfine transitions of nitric oxide using a pulse modulated quantum cascade laser: rapid passage, free induction decay, and the ac Stark effect

Using a low power, rapid (nsec) pulse-modulated quantum cascade (QC) laser, collective coherent effects in the 5 μm spectrum of nitric oxide have been demonstrated by the observation of sub-Doppler hyperfine splitting and also Autler-Townes splitting of Doppler broadened lines. For nitrous oxide, experiments and model calculations have demonstrated that two main effects occur with pulse-modulated (chirped) quantum cascade lasers: free induction decay signals, and signals induced by rapid passage during the laser chirp. In the open shell molecule, NO, in which both Λ-doubling splitting and hyperfine structure occur, laser field-induced coupling between the hyperfine levels of the two Λ-doublet components can induce a large ac Stark effect. This may be observed as sub-Doppler structure, field-induced splittings, or Autler-Townes splitting of a Doppler broadened line. These represent an extension of the types of behaviour observed in the closed shell molecule nitrous oxide, using the same apparatus, when probed with an 8 μm QC laser.     

ESR Study of a Nitroxide Radical in Sol-Gel Glasses

A spin probe TEMPOL (4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-1-oxy) was dissolved in a tetraethyl orthosilicate sol-gel reaction system and measured by electron spin resonance spectroscopy at 295 K. The nitrogen hyperfine coupling constant was from 1.64–1.66 mT in the sol-gel solutions. The values were sensitive to the ethanol-to-water ratio of the solutions. The hyperfine coupling constant in the xerogels was 1.70 mT, which was almost the same as that in water, indicating that the probe molecules were trapped in silica pores with water adsorbed on the silica surfaces. The motion of TEMPOL in the xerogels was considerably slower than in the sol-gel solutions. The local viscosity estimated was from 70–90 cP. The ESR spectra of TEMPOL were altered during the sol-gel process, indicating that adsorbed water on the silicas surfaces has an important role for trapping organic molecules in sol-gel glasses.     

A study of the two-photon spectrum of and vibronic coupling in the first system of pyrene

The polarized, low-energy, two-photon absorption system of pyrene-h₁₀ and pyrene-d₁₀ in fluorene and biphenyl host crystals at 4.2 K has been measured and analyzed to provide firm symmetry assignments. Good agreement was found for the energies of the two-photon band positions in a heptane matrix recorded using a site-selective technique. The transition has A_g vibronic symmetry being induced by single quanta of several b_2u fundamentals; very short progressions in some a_g modes were observed. Vibronic coupling involving a_g modes in the one-photon spectra has been examined. Relative line intensities have been measured for seven fundamentals in absorption and fluorescence together with some overtones and binary combinations. First-order Herzberg—Teller theory can account for these intensities and the intensities in the two-photon spectrum. The vibronic coupling is of medium strength, and plays an important role in determining the intensities of the bands in the spectrum because the allowed component of the transition is weak. In the one-photon, the strength of the coupling is weaker in a biphenyl than in a heptane matrix; in the former case, it is assumed that there is a transition dipole interaction that acts to transfer intensity from the guest to the host in such a way as to reduce the transition moment to the pyrene “lending” state involved in the vibronic coupling.     

Two-beam linear magneto-optical spectroscopy of atomic transitions between short lived states

Two-beam, linear magneto-optical spectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying short-lived states. We present both measurements and a quantitative theoretical analysis of magneto-rotation observed in the forward scattering of a linearly polarised laser beam passing through an amplifying atomic medium placed in a longitudinal magnetic field. The probed transition connects two short-lived, excited atomic levels, the upper state (here the 7S _1/2 level of cesium) being prepared initially via another transition from ground state, excited by a linearly polarised pump beam. The probe polarisation undergoes three different magneto-optical processes: optical rotation, with separate contributions from the two transitions, and linear dichroism due to Hanle precession of the upper state alignment. Complete resolution of the hyperfine structures and ninety degree switching of the probe polarisation enable us to isolate all of these processes. To lowest order in optical thickness the relative intensities and lineshapes are well interpreted.     

Vibronic intensity borrowing. Deuterium effect and emission—absorption asymmetry of the S1---S0 transition in pyrene

The intensities of the vibrationally induced bands in the S₁---S₀ emission and absorption spectra of pyrene-h₁₀ and -d₁₀ are measured and analysed. Several new expressions are reported which relate the deuterium effect and emission—absorption asymmetry of induced spectra to the vibronic coupling mechanism.     

Dual-pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy: Time-resolved transmission and spectral measurements

Spectral analysis of laser-induced plasmas for surface ablation has demonstrated the possibility of analyte signal enhancement with dual-pulse configurations as compared with traditional single-pulse LIBS. Using an orthogonal dual-pulse arrangement, measurements were performed using glass microscope slides to allow both spectral analysis as well as optical transmission measurements. Order of magnitude enhancements in Mg and Si atomic emission signal peak intensities were recorded along with similar enhancements of the continuum emission for dual-pulse LIBS as compared to single-pulse. Peak-to-base measurements showed a roughly 50% increase, while signal-to-noise ratios were enhanced by a factor of 2–3. Temporal analysis of the measured transmitted laser pulse waveforms showed no significant differences between dual-pulse and single-pulse LIBS configurations, providing additional insight into the possible laser coupling processes for the dual-pulse configuration.     

Optical switching property from a laser beam propagating in a polymer dispersed liquid crystal film

Optical switching has been studied in epoxy-based polymer dispersed liquid crystal films. A 'self-transparency' effect is observed due to refractive index variations thermally induced either by heating the sample with a hot stage, or by absorption of the incident laser power. The switching phenomena were studied for different liquid crystal contents in the composites, and experimental evidence of light modulation by a probe beam is also reported. The thermo-optical behaviour of the material is correlated with the morphology of the samples. The results obtained verify the possibility of employing this type of material in optical devices based on the thermo-optical switching effect.     

Perturbative theory and modeling of electronic-resonance-enhanced coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering spectroscopy of nitric oxide

A theory is developed for three-laser electronic-resonance-enhanced (ERE) coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy of nitric oxide (NO). A vibrational Q-branch Raman polarization is excited in the NO molecule by the frequency difference between visible Raman pump and Stokes beams. An ultraviolet probe beam is scattered from the induced Raman polarization to produce an ultraviolet ERE-CARS signal. The frequency of the ultraviolet probe beam is selected to be in electronic resonance with rotational transitions in the A (2)Sigma(+)<--X (2)Pi (1,0) band of NO. This choice results in a resonance between the frequency of the ERE-CARS signal and transitions in the (0,0) band. The theoretical model for ERE-CARS NO spectra has been developed in the perturbative limit. Comparisons to experimental spectra are presented where either the probe laser was scanned with fixed Stokes frequency or the Stokes laser was scanned with fixed probe frequency. At atmospheric pressure and an NO concentration of 100 ppm, good agreement is found between theoretical and experimental spectral peak locations and relative intensities for both types of spectra. Factors relating to saturation in the experiments are discussed, including implications for the theoretical predictions.     

Test of advanced hyperfine structure theory by precision radio-frequency and laser spectroscopy in molybdenum

The hyperfine structure splittings of 32 even parity states and of 26 odd partity states of molybdenum have been measured by atomic beam magnetic resonance and by laser induced fluorescence. The analysis of the hyperfine structure data of the even parity configurations (4d+5s)⁶ yields experimental evidence for second order hyperfine interactions. In addition, theg _J factors of 19 fine structure levels have been determined in order to test the quality of intermediate coupling wave functions for the (4d+5s)⁶ configurations.     

Author index to volume 91

The refocusing of a molecular beam of CaBr X²Σ⁺ by an electric quadrupole is investigated. The enhancement by electric deflection of the intensities of lines originating from levels of low J in the fluorescence excitation spectrum of CaBr B²Σ⁺ ?X²Σ⁺ is shown to be a useful technique of line assignment in a dense electronic band system. It is also found that the hyperfine levels are not transmitted equally through the quadrupole; for f levels, the hyperfine populations are actually reversed. A qualitative explanation, based on the correlation of zero-field hyperfine levels with high-field states, is given.     

Optical switching property from a laser beam propagating in a polymer dispersed liquid crystal film

Optical switching has been studied in epoxy-based polymer dispersed liquid crystal films. A 'self-transparency' effect is observed due to refractive index variations thermally induced either by heating the sample with a hot stage, or by absorption of the incident laser power. The switching phenomena were studied for different liquid crystal contents in the composites, and experimental evidence of light modulation by a probe beam is also reported. The thermo-optical behaviour of the material is correlated with the morphology of the samples. The results obtained verify the possibility of employing this type of material in optical devices based on the thermo-optical switching effect.     

Rotation of methyl radicals in a solid argon matrix

Electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements were carried out to study the rotation of methyl radicals (CH3) in a solid argon matrix at 14-35 K temperatures. The radicals were produced by dissociating methane by plasma bursts generated either by a focused 193 nm laser radiation or a radio frequency discharge device during the gas condensation on the substrate. The ESR spectrum exhibits axial symmetry at the lowest temperature and is ascribed to ground state molecules with symmetric total nuclear spin function I=3/2. The hyperfine anisotropy (Aparallel)-Aperpendicular) was found to be -0.01 mT, whereas that of the g value was 2.5x10(-5). The anisotropy is observed for the first time in Ar and is manifested by the splitting of the low-field transition. Elevation of temperature leads reversibly to the appearance of excited state contribution having antisymmetric I=1/2. As a function of the sample temperature, the relative intensities of symmetric and antisymmetric spin states corresponding to ground and excited rotor states, respectively, proton hyperfine and electron g-tensor components, and spin-lattice relaxation rates were determined by a numerical fitting procedure. The experimental observations were interpreted in terms of a free rotation about the C3 axis and a thermal activation of the C2-type rotations above 15 K. The ground and excited rotational state energy levels were found to be separated by 11.2 cm-1 and to exhibit significantly different spin-lattice coupling. A crystal field model has been applied to evaluate the energy levels of the hindered rotor in the matrix, and crystal field parameter varepsilon4=-200 cm-1, corresponding to a 60 cm-1 effective potential barrier for rotation of the C3 axis, was obtained.     

The hyperfine structure in the configuration 4f 135d6s6p in ytterbium

Using Doppler-reduced laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy in an atomic beam, the hyperfine structure of 22 levels of the configuration 4f ¹³5d6s6p in neutral ytterbium has been investigated for the two odd isotopes ¹⁷¹ Yb and ¹⁷¹ Yb. The experimental results have been used in a study of the hyperfine structure in regard to a determination of the one-electron parameters for the magnetic dipole and the electric quadrupole hyperfine coupling of the isotope ¹⁷³ Yb in part II of this work.     

High resolution spectroscopy of diatomic molecules: Hyperfine structure,isotope shifts and predissociation

This report presents some examples of detailed and systematic studies on diatomic molecules applying microwave and laser spectroscopy and a combination of both. The high quality of the whole data set allows the analysis of small higher order isotope effects which are attributed to the breakdown of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation and to the recently introduced field shift. Examples of molecular groups with different numbers of valence electrons are given for systematic comparison. To interpret the electronic structure of diatomics in a simple configuration model the quadrupole hyperfine coupling is reviewed for the interhalogens in the ground and an excited electronic state. Some preliminary remarks are included about the possibility to investigate hyperfine coupling of repulsive states by the observation of the hyperfine structure of homogeneously predissociating states.     

Electron attachment and vibrational excitation in hydrogen iodide: calculations based on the nonlocal resonance model

High resolution laser spectroscopy has been applied to study the hyperfine structure of excited energy levels of Thulium I. As part of our aim to complete the fine and hyperfine structure of the Tm I spectra 51 transitions in the visible were measured and precise values for the magnetic dipole hyperfine structure constants A of 24 odd and 19 even levels were determined. In addition, a new energy level of even parity with J = 3/2 is found at 27 509.40 (5)cm^?1 using laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy.     

Tunable diode laser spectroscopy of copper,cadmium, and indium at 325 nm

A tunable frequency-doubled external-cavity diode laser has been recently developed for atomic absorption spectroscopy in the wavelength range from 320 to 327 nm. The line width of the laser is 0.003 pm. In this work the light source has been applied to the laser absorption spectroscopy of copper at 324.754 nm, cadmium at 326.106 nm, and indium at 325.609 nm and 325.856 nm. The Cu transition was measured in three different environments: in a direct current plasma, a diffusion flame, and in a low-pressure hollow-cathode discharge. Both the plasma and the flame were at atmospheric pressure. The Cd and In transitions were measured in the diffusion flame. A Voigt profile was fit to the measured spectra taking into account the hyperfine structure. From the measured absorption lines spectral reference data for Cu is extracted.