Molecular-beam spectroscopy of high-temperature species with narrow-band dye lasers

Tunable dye lasers revolutionized molecular spectroscopy. In combination with molecular-beam techniques they helped to create a multitude of new experiments. Optical-optical double resonance, laser-microwave double resonance, and new Stark effect spectroscopy methods are reviewed, which allow investigation of a large class of molecular species including radicals and small clusters.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Herbert Welling on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Electric and magnetic mirrors and gratings for slowly moving neutral atoms and molecules

Those atoms or molecules which happen to have positive Stark or Zeeman energy shift (by virtue of their particular internal quantum state) are repelled by regions of high electrostatic or magnetostatic energy density, respectively. Using electrostatic or magnetostatic fields, which are periodic in a plane, it is possible to construct mirrors and gratings for slowly moving atoms and molecules. The theory of such devices is presented, together with some ideas for their fabrication.     

System for precise measurement in inverse Raman spectroscopy

A system for precise measurement was developed for inverse Raman spectroscopy, using a cw argon laser and a pulsed dye laser pumped by a YAG laser. The frequency accuracy was assured by monitoring the frequency of both of the lasers with an iodine fluorescence cell or a Fabry-Perot etalon dynamically calibrated by a stabilized HeNe laser. The spectrometer system employed a digitally controlled mechanism to handle the complicated measurement procedure and hence to reduce the overall measurement time. The performance of the system was tested by measuring the CH₄ v₁ lines and the H₂ Q(1) line.     

Multiplex velocity selection for precision matter-wave interferometry

We describe a novel velocity-selection technique for measuring dispersive phase shifts in matter-wave interferometers. Where conventional velocity-selection techniques simply reduce the width of the initial velocity distribution, here, the velocity distribution is chopped into a series of narrow peaks such that the velocity dependence of the phase shifts will result in a rephasing of the interference for certain strengths of applied potential. This technique overcomes limitations due to wide and poorly known velocity distributions and thus allows a better determination of the applied interaction with complete independence from the initial velocity distribution of the beam.Dedicated to H. Walther on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Laser photoelectron microspectroscopy for imaging impurity ions,color centers,and small-size irregularities in dielectric media

New photoelectron microscopy application fields are considered for imaging the arrangement of color centers, small-size defects, and impurity ions in dielectric matrices. The techniques proposed are based on the first experimental results obtained in studying the possibilities of observing stepwise laser photoelectric effect in ZrO₂:Nd³⁺, where photoelectron emission results from the stepwise absorption of light by the impurity ions Nd³⁺. In that case, the electrons being emitted originate in immediate proximity to the impurity ions, which offers possibilities to image the above structures by photoelectron microscopy techniques.     

Laser-induced fluorescence detection of singlet CH2 in low-pressure methane/oxygen flames

Methylene, CH₂, is a chemically important intermediate in hydrocarbon combustion but has previously eluded optical detection in a combustion environment. The CH₂ signal as a function of height above the burner surface in a premixed, laminar, methane/oxygen flame (5.6 Torr and fuel equivalence ratio 1.05) is measured by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) in the B ₁ – ã¹ A ₁ electronic system. The ã state which lies 3165 cm^–1 above the ground state is populated at the high temperatures of the flame (800–1800 K). Although less than one photon for each laser pulse is detected, we can unambiguously attribute the LIF features in the region 450 to 650 nm to CH₂ by both scanning the excitation laser and dispersing fluorescence. LIF temperatures and CH and OH LIF concentration profiles are also obtained for the flame. The CH₂ radical concentration maximum occurs closer to the burner than that of either OH or CH, as expected from models of methane combustion chemistry.     

A laser micro-chopper approach for molecular beam probe

A laser micro-chopper has been designed to respond fast to a molecular beam. A method of spectral structure measurement is established to analyse the responding signals. In experiments, the minimum detectable signals correspond to an air molecular-beam intensity of 5 × 10⁸/s     

Impact of the sublinear photoconductivity law on the interpretation of holographic results in BaTiO3

Thick holographic refractive index gratings are written in nominally pure and in iron doped BaTiO₃ crystals. The phase shift between refractive index grating and light pattern is studied as a function of an externally applied electric field by a direct phase shift measuring technique. The choice of the method is suggested by a theoretical analysis which allows for the effect of a nonlinear relation between photoconductivity and light intensity on the holographic writing process.     

Excited state absorption spectroscopy for thulium-doped zirconium fluoride fiber

The excited state absorption (ESA) transitions at 1050 and 1420 nm play a fundamental role in thulium-doped fiber amplifiers (TDFA). We present a novel setup to measure the spectral cross-sections of these transitions in amplifier fibers and the results of this measurement in case of thulium-doped fluorozirconate (ZBLAN) fibers. Besides a standard system for fiber attenuation measurements and a long-pass filter, we use only components from the fiber amplifier setup, including the active fiber. No special parts are needed. We show that this fiber optic method delivers reliable results for different lengths of the doped fibers. The oscillator strengths of the measured transitions are calculated and compared to values published in the literature.     

Inelastic processes in the scattering of metastable rare gas atoms at metal surfaces

Electron spectra of various metastable rare gas atoms systematically measured on a Pt(111) surface with Rb coverages ranging from submonolayers (3%) to multilayers are presented. The different decay channels of the excited particles are discussed in terms of resonant electron exchange processes between the substrate and the projectile in relation to the work function. It is shown that below a certain value of the work function a highly excited negative rare gas atom is formed which can undergo different de-excitation processes. A careful discussion of the branching ratios into the decay channels offers a natural explanation of the variations in the electron spectra induced by alkali metal adsorption. Additionally, an attempt is made to extract information about the alkali metal chemisorption state from the observed electron spectra.     

Adatom mobility for the solid-on-solid model

The relaxation of a crystal surface through surface diffusion is studied within the solid-on-solid model. Two types of (conserved) dynamics are considered. ForArrhenius dynamics we show that the relevant transport coefficient, the adatom mobility, has a simple analytic form: It is independent of orientation, and depends exponentially on the inverse temperature, for any surface dimensionalityd. Together with the expression for the orientation-dependent stiffness this completely determines the macroscopic evolution equation for the surface. The predictions of the macroscopic theory are checked against simulations of profile evolution and roughening ind=1. For one-dimensionalMetropolis dynamics we provide an upper bound on the adatom mobility and obtain numerical estimates of its actual value, which indicate a nontrivial orientation dependence in this case. An alternative derivation of the macroscopic dynamics directly from the master equation is presented and discussed in relation to previous approximate work.Dedicated to Professor H. Wagner on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Enhancement of the electron mobility with infrared photoexcitation in Si: Te at low temperatures

Hall measurements on Te-doped silicon (N _Te 10¹⁶ cm^–3) have been performed in the temperature range between 10 K and 300 K with infrared photoexcitation of electrons into the conduction band. The samples exhibit electron Hall mobilities which are increased by approximately 50% compared to measurements in the dark. The increased electron mobility can be correlated with an increased electron population of shallow donor levels by photoexcitation. Coulomb scattering due to charged shallow donor centers is converted into less efficient dipole scattering (Te-acceptor pairs) by the light-induced redistribution of electrons.     

The pressure effect on the photoluminescence and Raman spectra of Nd(DBM)3·Phen

Photoluminescence and Raman spectra of rare earth complex Nd(DBM)₃·Phen (DBM, dibenzoylmethane; Phen, 1,10-phenanthroline) are measured at high pressures. A new Raman band appearing at 1070 cm⁻¹ indicates a second-order phase transition around 5.0 GPa. Although the crystal lattice is destroyed for pressures higher than 7.1 GPa, photoluminescence spectra show that the emission intensity of Nd³⁺ is enhanced dramatically with the pressure increasing up to 9.9 GPa, which is attributed to an efficient intramolecular energy transfer from the ligand to Nd³⁺. By analyzing the energy of the ground and excited states at 9.9 GPa, the ⁴H_11/2 energy level is considered as the main resonance energy level that efficiently accepts the transferred energy from the ligand.     

Ab initio path-integral molecular dynamics

A path-integral molecular dynamics technique for strongly interacting atoms using ab initio potentials derived from density functional theory is implemented. This allows the efficient inclusion of nuclear quantum dispersion in ab initio simulations at finite temperatures. We present an application to the quantum cluster H ₅ ⁺ .     

A 2-dimensional detector with high spatial and temporal resolution for metastable rare gas atoms

We describe a detector for metastable rare gas atoms which allows the investigation of transverse atomic beam distributions on the single atom level with lateral dimensions of 1 m, which occur frequently in the field of atom optics. In contrast to existing detection techniques, the conversion step from the metastable atom to an electron is separated from the charge amplification to improve spatial resolution. The conversion is performed at a metal surface, which is followed by an electron-optical system imaging the electron distribution with a proper magnification onto a single electron detection unit. The spatial resolution that we achieve with this technique is on the order of 1 m, the temporal resolution on the order of 1 s. The application of the detector for atom interferometry is discussed. Received: 22 May 1996 / Revised version: 21 June 1996     

Modulated photoreflectance characterization of ion-implanted semiconductor wafers

Modulated PhotoReflectance (MPR) measurements on semiconductor wafers implanted with boron or silicon ions in the dose range 5×10¹⁰–5×10¹⁵ ions/cm² are presented. Correspondingly, a one-dimensional theoretical multilayer model is established. In the theory, as the implant dose is lower than a critical value, the variation of the MPR signal is contributed mainly by the implanted defects and damages. However, when the dose is above the critical dose, the change of the MPR signal is chiefly due to the formation and growth of an amorphous layer. The theoretical results are in good agreement with those of experiments.     

Phase-matched electrooptic modulator at 84 GHz for blue light: Theory,experimental test and applications

We describe the theory and experimental realization of an ultrafast phase-matched electrooptic modulator, working with 486 nm light and a modulation frequency of 84 GHz. To achieve phase matching for arbitrarily high modulation frequencies the laser beam is guided with several internal total reflections along a zig-zag path through a LiTaO₃ crystal. The method was studied experimentally with a 84 GHz modulator and a highly stable 486 nm dye laser. The maximum modulation index of this setup was about 5.0%. Beat signals between either the first- or the second-order sidebands and another laser were observed. This modulator was used to directly measure the 671 GHz 1S–2S isotope shift of hydrogen and deuterium with radio-frequency accuracy.     

Transient response of infrared photoconductors: The roles of contacts and space charge

The transient response of an extrinsic photoconductor, with two implanted ohmic contacts, has been calculated by solving the full continuity equation using a variable finite difference technique. For a step function in photon flux under constant voltage bias, transient times ranging from 10^–4 to 10^–2 s have been determined for 20 to 200 m thick detectors under the low background fluxes typical of infrared astronomy. The transient response consists of a fast and a slow component, with their relative magnitudes dependent on the ratio of diffusion and drift lengths to the device length. The characteristic time for the fast component is determined, as expected, by the carrier lifetime, but a slower transient response is also present which is controlled by out-diffusion and sweep-out and the establishment of a counteracting electric field barrier. The effects of material and operating parameters have been investigated, and an analytical model is presented for estimating transient response times for any extrinsic photoconductor. Contact-limited transient response will be most limiting for operation of thin device structures under very low photon backgrounds.     

Nanoscience and nanotechnology – driving research and applications

Nanoscience and nanotechnology represent scientific‐technical areas that in less than twenty years have gone from being in the hands of a small group of researchers who glimpsed their great potential, to constitute one of the recognized pillars of scientific progress for the next decades. This paper illustrates how the irruption of the nanotechnologies will directly affect human beings by substantially improving diagnosis and treatment of diseases as well as our capacities to interact with our surroundings. Governments around the world have realized the important role that nanotechnology deserves, and during the last decade budgets allocated to research and development in nanotechnology have continuously increased. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Statistical properties of the laser emission in a low-Q cavity

We investigate theoretically the stationary statistical properties of the laser radiation in a low-Q cavity with field, polarization, and population fluctuations. Eliminating adiabatically the electric field from the Maxwell-Bloch equations, coupled Langevin equations with bothadditive andmultiplicative noises are derived and are transformed into the multivariable Fokker-Planck equation of a probability density of the light intensity and the population difference. It is solved by the expansion into orthonormal sets, and a vector recurrence equation of motion of the expansion coefficients is given whose stationary solutions are analytically obtained in theMatrix continued-fraction. The stationary distribution function of the radiation intensity are calculated with several values of control parameters. We discuss the variance of the intensity distribution, the photon-counting coefficient, and the cross-correlation between intensity and population as a function of the pump parameter, and reveal the novel and characteristic features of the bad-cavity laser system. The comparison with the good-cavity (high-Q cavity) case is also made.