Stark shift of the A2Pi(1/2) state in 174YbF

We have measured the Stark shift of the A2Pi(1/2)-X2Sigma+ transition in YbF. We use a molecular beam triple resonance method, with two laser transitions acting as pump and probe, assisted by an rf transition that tags a single hyperfine transition of the X state. After subtracting the known ground state Stark shift, we obtain a value of 70.3(1.5) Hz/(V/cm)2 for the static electric polarizability of the state A2Pi(1/2) (J=1/2),f by fitting our data to a purely quadratic Stark shift in the interval 0-5 kV/cm. A more exact analysis that does not assume a perfectly quadratic Stark effect yields the value mu(e)=2.48(3) D for the electric dipole moment of the A2Pi(1/2)(v=0) state.     

Theory of ultrafast nonresonant multiphoton transitions in polyatomic molecules: basics and application to optimal control theory

A systematic approach is presented to describe nonresonant multiphoton transitions, i.e., transitions between two electronic states without the presence of additional intermediate states resonant with the single-photon energy. The method is well suited to describe femtosecond spectroscopic experiments and, in particular, attempts to achieve laser pulse control of molecular dynamics. The obtained effective time-dependent Schrodinger equation includes effective couplings to the radiation field which combine powers of the field strength and effective transition dipole operators between the initial and final states. To arrive at time-local equations our derivation combines the well-known rotating wave approximation with the approximation of slowly varying amplitudes. Under these terms, the optimal control formalism can be readily extended to also account for nonresonant multiphoton events. Exemplary, nonresonant two- and three-photon processes, similar to those occurring in the recent femtosecond pulse-shaping experiments on CpMn(CO)(3), are treated using related ab initio potential energy surfaces.     

Infrared double-resonance lineshapes in strongly pumped spherical-top molecules

Strong double-resonance signals are observed in silane pumped with a TEA-CO₂ laser and probed with a tunable diode laser. The lineshapes of these signals have been modeled with an extension of three level density-matrix theory to the case of a large bandwidth pump laser. Up to 50% of the ground state population can be transferred to specific rotational levels of the dyad by CO₂ laser pumping. Collision-mediated two-photon excitation to triad levels has also been observed.     

Sequences of ultrafast non-resonant multiphoton transitions in a three-electronic level molecule

Non-resonant multiphoton transitions between three electronic states of a molecular system are studied. Based on a projection operator formalism which is formulated in the framework of the so-called time-local as well as the time-nonlocal approach, time-dependent Schrödinger equations are obtained, which include effective couplings to the laser field. For both procedures a slowly varying amplitude approximation can be invoked. The resulting time-local equations are solved in a much more efficient way than the original effective Schrödinger equations. The validity of these approximations is verified numerically for a two-photon process. Furthermore, the effective Schrödinger equations are specified to sequences of two-photon and three-photon transitions. The derived equations are applied to a molecular system consisting of three electronic states with Morse-type potential energy curves. Using different laser pulse scenarios the conditions are discussed under which a sequence of two-photon and three-photon transitions can take place.     

Coherent ultrafast photoelectron spectroscopy in Br2: an alternative method for measuring Delta v not equal 0 transitions in Rydberg-to-Rydberg excitations

A two-state vibrational wave packet is prepared in a low-lying 4d[12](1 or 2) Rydberg state of jet cooled Br(2) (4d, v(')=3 and v(')=4) by two-photon excitation with 266.5 nm pulses from an ultrafast laser. The wave packet is detected by autoionization following excitation with time-delayed 800 nm pulses to the n=8 (v(+)=4) and n=9 (v(+)=3) Rydberg states in the (2)Pi(12) angular momentum core state. Autoionization of each state occurs to the (2)Pi(32) state of the ion through spin-orbit ionization. Photoelectron spectroscopy is used to differentiate between the n=8 and n=9 ejected photoelectrons. Detection of the wave packet recurrences via the n=8 and n=9 Rydberg states reveals a pi phase-shift difference of the recurrences between the two final states. In each case, Delta v not equal 0 transitions are observed since wave packet recurrences are detected. By fitting the observed phase change of the recurrences with a simple model for the overlap amplitudes and assumptions about the potentials, we estimate, within the context of the model, that approximately 0.6% of the transitions may be attributed to Delta v= +/- 1 transitions between the initial Rydberg superposition state and the final Rydberg detection state.     

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.     

Two-photon state selection and angular momentum polarization probed by velocity map imaging: application to H atom photofragment angular distributions from the photodissociation of two-photon state selected HCl and HBr

A formalism for calculating the angular momentum polarization of an atom or a molecule following two-photon excitation of a J-selected state is presented. This formalism is used to interpret the H atom photofragment angular distributions from single-photon dissociation of two-photon rovibronically state selected HCl and HBr prepared via a Q-branch transition. By comparison of the angular distributions measured using the velocity map imaging technique with the theoretical model it is shown that single-photon dissociation of two-photon prepared states can be used for pathway identification, allowing for the identification of the virtual state symmetry in the two-photon absorption and/or the symmetry of the dissociative state. It is also shown that under conditions of excitation with circularly polarized light, or for excitation via non-Q-branch transitions with linearly polarized light the angular momentum polarization is independent of the dynamics of the two-photon transition and analytically computable.     

Two-photon MPI spectroscopy of alkyl iodides

The two-photon resonant multiphoton ionization (MPI) spectra of methyl iodide, methyl iodide-d₃, ethyl, propyl, and butyl iodide are reported in the 49 000-55 000 cm^?1 region. Four separate transitions to excited states labeled Δ, Π, Σ, Π in increasing energy are expected in this range which result from the excitation of an iodine 5pπ electron to the 6s molecular Rydberg orbital. Two-photon spectroscopy with its different selection rules and unique dependence on the laser polarization is shown to significantly advance the understanding of these transitions. In particular, laser polarization studies identify a state which is strongly two-photon allowed but absent in the UV absorption spectrum as the Σ state. Rotational contours indicate a large geometry change takes place in this transition. The two Π states appear strongly in both the one-and two-photon spectrum. Polarization analysis confirms their electronic symmetry assignment in addition to distinguishing vibronic bands arising from nontotally symmetric vibrations. No evidence is found for the Δ state in the multiphoton ionization spectrum, due to either a small two-photon cross section or a low probability of ionization following the initial two-photon transition. Further complications and characteristics of single laser MPI spectroscopy in the study of two-photon absorption in methyl iodide and other fundamental molecules are discussed.     

Selective photodissociation in diatomic molecules by dynamical Stark-shift control

Selective population transfer in electronic states of dissociative molecular systems is illustrated by adopting a control scheme based on Stark-chirped rapid adiabatic passage (SCRAP). In contrast to the discrete N-level system, dynamical Stark shift is induced in a more complex manner in the molecular electronic states. Wavepacket dynamics on the light-induced potentials, which are determined by the detuning of the pump pulse, can be controlled by additional Stark pulse in the SCRAP scheme. Complete population transfer can be achieved by either lowering the energy barrier along the adiabatic passage or placing the initial wavepacket on a well-defined dressed state suitable for the control. The determination of the pulse sequence is sufficient for controlling population transfer to the target state.     

Harmonic theory of thermal two-photon absorption in benzene

A correlation function formalism is applied to compute the two-photon absorption spectrum of benzene. Using harmonic Hamiltonians for the ground and excited electronic states, we find that the theory agrees qualitatively with the experimentally observed sparsity of the thermal two-photon absorption spectrum as compared with the single-photon absorption spectrum. An expression for the average vibrational energy in the excited state is derived. We find that cooling of the nascent vibrational energy in the electronically excited state is not as extensive in the two-photon absorption process as compared to the single-photon case.     

Dissociation of sulfur dioxide by ultraviolet multiphoton absorption between 224 and 232 nm

Multiphoton excitation and dissociation of SO(2) have been investigated in the wavelength range from 224 to 232 nm. Strong evidence is found for two-photon excitation to the H Rydberg state, followed by dissociation to SO + O and ionization of the SO product by absorption of a third photon. The two-photon excitation is resonantly enhanced via the C (1)B(2) intermediate state, and the two-photon yield spectrum thus bears a strong resemblance to the spectrum of this intermediate. Imaging of the O((3)P(2)), S((1)D(2)), and SO products suggests that, following dissociation of SO(2) from the H state, SO is produced in the A and B electronic states. S((1)D(2)) is produced both from two-photon dissociation of SO(2) to give S((1)D(2)) + O(2) and by single-photon dissociation of SO(+). In the former process, the O(2) is likely formed in all of its lowest three electronic states.     

Resonance hyper-Raman excitation profiles and two-photon states of a donor-acceptor substituted polyene

Resonance Raman and resonance hyper-Raman spectra and excitation profiles have been measured for a "push-pull" donor-acceptor substituted conjugated polyene bearing a julolidine donor group and a nitrophenyl acceptor group, in acetone at excitation wavelengths from 485 to 356 nm (two-photon wavelengths for the nonlinear spectra). These wavelengths span the strong visible to near-UV linear absorption spectrum, which appears to involve at least three different electronic transitions. The relative intensities of different vibrational bands vary considerably across the excitation spectrum, with the hyper-Raman spectra showing greater variation than the linear Raman. A previously derived theory of resonance hyper-Raman intensities is modified to include contributions from purely vibrational levels of the ground electronic state as intermediate states in the two-photon absorption process. These contributions are found to have only a slight effect on the hyper-Rayleigh intensities and profiles, but they significantly influence some of the hyper-Raman profiles. The absorption spectrum and the Raman, hyper-Rayleigh, and hyper-Raman excitation profiles are quantitatively simulated under the assumption that three excited electronic states contribute to the one- and two-photon absorption in this region. The transition centered near 400 nm is largely localized on the nitrophenyl group, while the transitions near 475 and 355 nm are more delocalized.     

Photoelectron studies on vibronic coupling in pyrazine

Ionization pathways from the S(1) and T(1) states of pyrazine are investigated using one- and two-photon ionization of the excited state by both resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization photoelectron spectroscopy and zero electron kinetic energy pulsed field ionization techniques. For the triplet manifold, we show that two-photon ionization of T(1) is enhanced by a vibronically induced resonance for which we determine the inducing mode and the nature of the intermediate state, as well as the (3)3s(n(-1)) Rydberg state. For the singlet manifold, we identify the mode responsible for the vibronically induced intensity of a 3p Rydberg state that was previously found to greatly perturb the 1+2(') photoelectron spectrum of S(1) by a resonance at the two-photon level.     

Rate equation modelling of molecular multiphoton ionization dynamics

Selected aspects of kinetic rate equations are used as a framework for the modelling of molecular multiphoton ionization. Expressions are obtained for the ion yield where one and two intermediate resonances are present and the effects of saturation due to laser beam spatial and temporal structure are shown to be important in many molecular multiphoton experiments. A comparison is made between ionization and fluorescence yields and their spatial structure, following two-photon excitation, under identical experimental conditions. Radiationless processes are shown to be important in determining the ionization yield, which leads to the apparent selectivity of molecular multiphoton ionization experiments toward Rydberg states.     

Condensed thymine films at the mercury/water interface: Part V. Phase transitions

The topography of the various phase transitions in a supersaturated thymine solution is described. Most transitions leading from a non-condensed to a condensed film involve nucleation and growth, via a metastable intermediate surface state, as do some transitions between condensed films. The latter have unusually high Avrami slopes and, sometimes, involve multiple intermediate states. Other transitions exhibit exponential transients. Of the three pit regions observed, that at the most positive potentials is present only in super-saturated solutions, is clearly associated with three-dimensional phase formation, and does not lead to a well-defined steady-state interfacial capacitance. Most transitions leading to a non-condensed final state exhibit exponential transients.     

Determination of the dipole moment of nitrosyl fluoride in the (001) and (101) states by combination of microwave and laser stark data.

The combination of microwave measurements of the Stark effect in the (001) excited vibrational state with fourteen laser Stark transitions of the hot band (101) ← (001), previously reported in the literature, yielded the values of the dipole moment of ONF both in the (001) and (101) states.     

Direct observation of an intermediate state for a surface photochemical reaction initiated by hot electron transfer

The photoinduced charge transfer that had been suggested to result in the dissociation of phenol on Ag(111) was investigated by two-photon photoemission spectroscopy. An unoccupied intermediate state was positively identified, which was found to be located 3.22 eV above the Fermi level. From the photoelectron energy dispersion, the effective mass of the intermediate state was determined to be (15 +/- 10)m(e) for a 1 ML coverage of phenol. This implies that the excited electron is localized mainly on the adsorbed phenol, forming a molecular resonance state. Polarization dependence of the photoelectron intensity suggested that the initial photoexcitation of the substrate produces hot electrons that scatter into the molecular resonance state, leading ultimately to the dissociation of the adsorbate. These results are the first two-photon photoemission study to characterize the transient anionic state involved in photodissociation of a molecule adsorbed on a metal surface.     

Isotope E ects on Two-Photon Population Transfer Processes of HF and DF

The isotope effects of XF (X=H, D) on the population transfer process via two-photon resonance excitation are investigated by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. The vibrational v =0 and 2 of the ground electronic state are taken to be the initial and target states, respectively, for the two molecular systems. The influences of the field peak amplitude and pulse duration on the population transfer process are discussed in detail. The pulse duration is required to be longer than 860 fs for the DF molecule to achieve a relatively high transfer probability (more than 80%), while the one for the HF molecule is just required to be longer than 460 fs. Moreover, the intermediate v =1 and the higher v =3 may play more important roles in the two-photon resonance process for the DF molecule, compared to the roles in the process for the HF molecule.     

Two-quanta progressive saturation: pulsed NMR of 23Na in single crystal sodium nitrate

Progressive saturation effects due to induction of two-quanta transitions in the quadrupolar-split levels of a spit, 3/2, (²³Na) nucleus were studied by monitoring changes occuring in the 1/2 → ? 1/2 magnetization after applying trains of identical pulses at various radiofrequencies and repetition rates. The variety of single- and double-quantum (DO) interconnected population effects observed in the experiments is explained by incorporating solutions of the ordinary two-level Bloch equations with those of the two-quanta, three-level Bloch-like equations (including off-resonance conditions) derived recently by Gold and Hahn. Small displacements of nuclear levels under DQ irradiation (analogous to the optical ac Stark shift) the cause rf power-dependent DQ frequency shifts are predicted for all spins I> 1, and explicit expressions are derived. Additional effects due to state mixing and to population transfer by satellite excitation are presented, and the relevance of DQ saturation to the recently developed double-resonance interferometric spectroscopy is discussed.