Saturated absorption spectroscopy: Elimination of crossover resonances with the use of a nanocell

It is demonstrated that the velocity-selective optical pumping/saturation resonances of the reduced absorption in a Rb vapor nanocell with thickness L = λ, 2λ, and 3λ (resonant wavelength λ = 780 nm) allow for the complete elimination of crossover (CO) resonances. We observe well-pronounced resonances corresponding to the F _g = 3 → F _e = 2, 3, and 4 hyperfine transitions of the ⁸⁵Rb D₂ line with line widths close to the natural width. A small CO resonance located midway between F _g = 3 → F _e = 3 and F _g = 3 → F _e = 4 transitions appears only for L ≥ 4λ. The D₂ line (λ = 852 nm) in a Cs nanocell exhibits a similar behavior. From the amplitude ratio of the CO and VSOP resonances, it is possible to determine the thickness of the column of alkali vapor in the range of 1–1000 μm. The absence of the CO resonances for nanocells with L ～ λ is attractive for the frequency reference application and for studying the transitions between the Zeeman sublevels in external magnetic fields.     

Tunable terahertz waves generated by mixing two copropagating infrared beams in GaP

By mixing two copropagating coherent beams near 1 microm in a zinc blende GaP crystal, we have efficiently generated coherent terahertz (THz) waves. Such efficient conversion is made possible by use of a rest-strahlen band in the THz region to achieve phase matching in an isotropic crystal. A tuning range as wide as 71.1-2830 microm (0.106-4.22 THz) was achieved, whereas the highest output peak power reached 15.6 W at 173 microm. To obtain such a tuning range we continuously tuned the wavelength of one coherent infrared beam within a bandwidth of approximately 15.3 nm.     

Nonlinear repolarization in optical fibers: polarization attraction with copropagating beams

We propose a type of lossless nonlinear polarizer, novel to our knowledge, a device that transforms any input state of polarization (SOP) of a signal beam into one and the same well-defined SOP toward the output, and perform this without any polarization-dependent losses. At the polarizer output end, the signal SOP appears to be locked to the input pump SOP. The polarizer is based on the nonlinear Kerr interaction of copropagating signal and pump beams in a telecom or randomly birefringent optical fiber.     

Thermal calcium atom interferometer comprised of three copropagating traveling laser beams

Received: 24 March 1998/Revised version: 2 June 1998     

Observation of saturation of energy transfer between copropagating beams in a flowing plasma

Experiments demonstrate energy and power transfer between copropagating, same frequency, beams crossing at a small angle in a plasma with a Mach 1 flow. The process is interpreted as amplification of the low intensity probe beam by the stimulated scatter of the high intensity pump beam. The observed probe amplification increases slowly with pump intensity and decreases with probe intensity, indicative of saturation limiting the energy and power transfer due to ion-wave nonlinearities and localized pump depletion. The results are consistent with numerical modeling including ion-wave nonlinearities.     

Characterization of vibrational resonances of water-vapor interfaces by phase-sensitive sum-frequency spectroscopy

Phase-sensitive sum-frequency spectroscopy provides correct characterization of vibrational resonances of water-vapor interfaces and allows better identification of interfacial water species contributing to different parts of the spectra. Iodine ions emerging at an interface create a surface field that tends to reorient the more loosely bonded water molecules below the topmost layer.     

Production of heavy resonances with electron and muon beams

The inelastic leptoproduction of heavy resonances J (J = J/ψ, Ψ,…) is investigated in a model where γ_vg → Jg is assumed to be the dominant mechanism. Analytic expressions for the differential cross section as well as for the helicity amplitudes are presented. A detailed numerical analysis of the angular distribution of the muon pair arising from the decay of the heavy resonance in its rest frame is presented.     

Multipole resonances in open-shell nuclei: Connection with direct-reaction spectroscopy

Probability distributions for the excitation of the 1ħω multipole resonances E1, M6, and M2 in the sd-shell nuclei ¹⁸O, ²²Ne, ²⁴Mg, ²⁶Mg, ²⁷Al, ²⁸Si, ³²S, and ⁴⁰Ca were obtained by means of the spectroscopy of direct pickup reactions within the particle-core coupling (PCC) version of the multiparticle shell model. The deviation of the ground state of a nucleus featuring A nucleons from the case of closed shells or subshells manifests itself in a broad range of the energy distribution of holes among states of (A − 1) nuclei. This energy spread is the main source of the fragmentation of multipole resonances in open-shell nuclei. A comparison of PCC theoretical results with experimental data confirms the applicability of the approach used over a broad range of momentum transfers and proves the existence of connections between direct and resonance processes.     

Recovery of underwater resonances by magnetization transferred NMR spectroscopy (RECUR-NMR).

A method for detecting small molecule NMR resonances under a water peak in biological samples is presented. After high-efficiency solvent suppression using double WATERGATE, either a TOCSY- or ROESY-based coherence transfer sequence is applied to reestablish the resonances close to, or under, water through magnetization transfer using scalar or dipolar coupling, respectively. The use of the TOCSY and ROESY methods ensures an in-phase magnetization transfer, which makes the new approach readily extended for the measurement of transverse relaxation times, internuclear ROEs, and ROE buildup rates. An extension of the new approach for J-resolved spectroscopy is also presented and tested using a sample of human blood plasma.     

Coherent laser spectroscopy of RF resonances in liquid

Four-photon polarization spectra of double distilled water subjected to a special treatment in a cavitation chamber and 20% aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide were recorded in the range ±8 cm⁻¹. All recorded spectra contain narrow (< 0.3 cm⁻¹) resonances corresponding to the frequencies of the rotational spectrum of ortho and para spin isomers of the H₂O molecule. Numerical simulation of the spectra obtained made it possible to quantitatively estimate the contribution of the rotational spectrum to the coherent scattering signal. It was found that the contribution of the para spin isomer of the H₂O molecule to the rotational line spectrum decreases in an aqueous solution of the α-chymotrypsin protein. Apparently, this decrease indicates the selectivity of interaction of biopolymer molecules with different spin isomers.     

Possibility of new resonances in transient nonlinear spectroscopy

We predict the existence of new types of extra resonances in transient four wave mixing from a system with negligible collisions. These new resonances arise from the coherent pumping and disappear in the long time limit. We give explicit results for extra resonances in four wave mixing from several conventonally used systems.     

Theory of frequency modulation spectroscopy of coherent dark resonances

The interaction of a three-level atom in the A configuration with a frequency-modulated (FM) field is analyzed theoretically for the first time. The two-frequency model for solving the problem of frequency modulation spectroscopy of coherent dark resonances is described and analyzed for a three-level A system. The effectiveness of the two-frequency model is demonstrated by comparing the results obtained using this model with the results of solving the exact problem of interaction of a A system with an FM field, which can be solved by the density matrix method. It is shown that the simple two-frequency model corresponds to the exact solution and is in qualitative agreement with experimental data.     

Raman spectroscopy of magneto-phonon resonances in graphene and graphite

The magneto-phonon resonance or MPR occurs in semiconductor materials when the energy spacing between Landau levels is continuously tuned to cross the energy of an optical phonon mode. MPRs have been largely explored in bulk semiconductors, in two-dimensional systems and in quantum dots. Recently there has been significant interest in the MPR interactions of the Dirac fermion magneto-excitons in graphene, and a rich splitting and anti-crossing phenomena of the even parity $E_{2g}$ long wavelength optical phonon mode have been theoretically proposed and experimentally observed. The MPR has been found to crucially depend on disorder in the graphene layer. This is a feature that creates new venues for the study of interplays between disorder and interactions in the atomic layers. We review here the fundamentals of MRP in graphene and the experimental Raman scattering works that have led to the observation of these phenomena in graphene and graphite.     

Photo-induced phase transitions probed by X-ray absorption spectroscopy: Fe(II) spin crossover complex

Photo-induced phase transitions in spin-crossover complex [Fe(II)(2-pic)₃]Cl₂EtOH were investigated by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) technique. In situ XAS results showed that the metal-ligand (Fe–N) bond distance expands by ca. 0.20 Å upon photo-induced (S=0→S=2) spin conversion. We find that nearly octahedral (O_h) symmetry of FeN₆ coordination remains in the photo-induced high spin state. The next-nearest neighbor Fe–C radial distribution shows a subtle change due to local distortions of ligand molecules. Inhomogeneous distribution of strains may disturb cooperative photo-induced phase transitions removing centers of inversion symmetry.     

Sub-doppler absorption resonances of ring-shaped laser beams in a thin vapor cell

Experimental research is carried out into the features of sub-Doppler absorption resonances caused by optical pumping and transit relaxation of Cs atoms in a thin 120-μm cell (with rarefied Cs vapor) for ring-shaped laser beams. Such resonances are analyzed both in the transmission of the single running beam and at the interaction of counterpropagating beams for different degrees of their spatial overlapping in the cell.     

On the shape of cross resonances in counterpropagating wave spectroscopy

Physical processes that generate cross resonances are studied. It is revealed that not only populational, but also coherent, effects can make a contribution to formation of cross resonances. The effects of coherent processes, lifetimes of levels, the parameter of radiation branching from the upper level, and light fields?? characteristics are shown to be qualitatively different for the ??-, V-, and J = 1 ? J = 1 types of transition. Conditions for the change in the sign of cross resonances are found and a situation wherein the cross resonance has a purely coherent nature is shown.     

Two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy of two-exciton resonances in semiconductor quantum wells

We propose a three-pulse coherent ultrafast optical technique that is particularly sensitive to two-exciton correlations. Two Liouville-space pathways for the density matrix contribute to this signal which reveals double quantum coherences when displayed as a two-dimensional correlation plot. Two-exciton couplings spread the cross peaks along both axes, creating a characteristic highly resolved pattern. This level of detail is not available from conventional one-dimensional four-wave mixing or other two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy signals such as the photo echo, in which two-exciton couplings show up along a single axis and are highly congested.