Two-photon laser-induced fluorescence in oxygen and nitrogen atoms

Two-photon absorption is used to populate the 3p ³P state of O and the 2s²2p²3p⁴D^o state of N in a flow discharge. Exciting photons are produced by anti-Stokes Raman frequency conversion of tunable UV laser radiation; the resulting near IR fluorescence from the excited state yielded lifetimes, quenching rates, and relative two-photon transition probabilities.