Detection and Quantitation Of Several Atomic Species By Intra-cavity Quenching Of Laser Emission

Until recently laser research has been the province of the physicist wherein lasers have been utilized extensively as sources of coherent, highly monochromatic energy. The thrust of this research has been to employ the organic solution laser output as an analytical signal from which information about a particular system may be extracted. Preliminary investigations in this laboratory showed that a great number of variables are active in the achievement of lasing from an organic solution. More significantly, concurrent work in this laboratory produced some anomalous results which were subsequently attributed to a cavity defect. This suggested that small energy losses at discrete wavelengths within the resonant cavity of an organic solution laser could result in quenching of broad band laser emission at those specific wavelengths. These considerations led to investigations in which atoms and mlecules were purposefully introduced into the resonant cavity of an organic solution laser.¹ A search of the literature revealed that investigators at The National Bureau of Standards had previously observed this phenomenon and had reported on the intra-cavity absorption of a pulsed rhodamine 6G laser emission by sodium vapor.² In a follow-up paper Keller and co-workers demonstrated the enhancement of absorption for Eu(NO₃)₃) when placed within the cavity of a rhodamine 6G laser. Concurrently absorption was observed from Ba and Sr in an air-acetylene flame within a dye laser cavity by, Thrash et al.⁴ Hansch and co-workers⁵ duplicated the intra-cavity absorption experiment with iodine vapor and compared the sensitivity of this result with measurements obtained from conventional absorption techniques. At about the same time Latz, Wyles, and Green¹ reported data which dennnstrated that the extent of intra-cavity absorption for nitrogen dioxide was linearly related to its concentration. Investigation into the use of a laminar flow burner with an air-acetylene flame within a dye laser cavity showed part per billion (ppb) detection limits for sodium as well as the detection of barium and mercury. The completion of these intracavity absorption studies in the visible region of the spectrum yielded the results which are reported here as well as quantitative intyacavity absorption data for Eu⁺³. In an independent study Konjevic also reported detection of sodium by intra-cavity absorption from an airnatural gas flame⁶.