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AIP conference proceedings

Probing coherent and incoherent intermediate states with RIS: A laser-induced catalyst

W. R. Garrett

Published Jan 1, 2001• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Since its inception, a primary focus of resonance ionization spectroscopy has been sensitive detection of atomic species in one form on another. But RIS has found many applications in spectroscopy where the nature of a resonant transition was of interest, and RIS provided a very useful tool for measuring a given feature. A large set of examples from this category can be found in studies of quantum interferences as they affect multiphoton-resonant transitions in gases and vapors. In many instances RIS has been used to show various effects that can be produced when two different optical paths simultaneously link a resonant transition in a gaseous system. We note that RIS has been used to show dramatic effects of wave mixing interferences on certain multi-photon driven resonant excitation processes. These include: (1) Complete destructive interference from a FWM field can reduce to zero the odd-photon-mediated excitation probability of a dipole allowed transition [1–4]; (2) For dual beam pumping the resonant excitation probability is restored but at a shifted frequency, [2]; (3) Separate resonant excitation profiles of a given transition can be produced under multi-beam pumping, all in conformance with theoretical predictions [3]; Quantum interference can suppress an ac Stark shift [4].

DOI
10.1063/1.1405599

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Since its inception, a primary focus of resonance ionization spectroscopy has been sensitive detection of atomic species in one form on another. But RIS has found many applications in spectroscopy where the nature of a resonant transition was of interest, and RIS provided a very useful tool for measuring a given feature. A large set of examples from this category can be found in studies of quantum interferences as they affect multiphoton-resonant transitions in gases and vapors. In many instances RIS has been used to show various effects that can be produced when two different optical paths simultaneously link a resonant transition in a gaseous system. We note that RIS has been used to show dramatic effects of wave mixing interferences on certain multi-photon driven resonant excitation processes. These include: (1) Complete destructive interference from a FWM field can reduce to zero the odd-photon-mediated excitation probability of a dipole allowed transition [1–4]; (2) For dual beam pumping the resonant excitation probability is restored but at a shifted frequency, [2]; (3) Separate resonant excitation profiles of a given transition can be produced under multi-beam pumping, all in conformance with theoretical predictions [3]; Quantum interference can suppress an ac Stark shift [4].
Resonance ionization spectroscopy, RIS, is a multistep photon absorption process in which the final state is the ionization continuum of an atom. The RIS process can be saturated with available pulsed lasers, so that one electron can be removed from each atom of the selected type. This method was first applied to the determination of the absolute number of He(21S2^{1}S21S) excited states produced when pulsed beams of protons interacted with helium gas. Laser schemes for RIS are classified into five basic types; with these, nearly all of the elements can be detected with commercially available lasers. A periodic table is included showing schemes applicable to all of the elements except He, Ne, F, and Ar. A compact theory of the RIS process is presented which delineates the conditions under which rate equations apply. Questions on the effects of collisional line broadening, laser coherence time, and nonresonant multiphoton ionization processes are discussed. The initial demonstration of one-atom detection of Cs is described. By using laser beams to saturate the RIS process and by using proportional counters as single-electron detectors, one-atom detection is made possible. With RIS, one-atom detection is highly selective, has the ultimate in sensitivity, and has excellent space and time resolution. Furthermore, a modification of the technique in which single electrons (or single ions) are detected with a channel electron multiplier permits single-atom detection in a vacuum. Resonance ionization spectroscopy has application to classical phenomena such as the diffusion of free atoms, the chemical reaction of free atoms with a gas, the measurement of concentration fluctuations in a dilute vapor, and a variety of other atomic fluctuation phenomena. The authors describe how RIS can be used for photophysics measurements such as far wing collisional line broadening, measurements of photoionization cross sections for excited states, and collisional redistribution among excited states. Modern applications include the detection of single atoms in individual ionization tracks, such as those created by the binary fission of a parent atom, and the extension of this technique to the detection of stable or unstable daughter atoms in time coincidence with the decay of a parent atom. These methods are beig developed for use in low-level counting to determine, for example, the flux of solar neutrinos on the earth.
We consider effects which occur when four-wave sum frequency generation and multiphoton ionization are induced by lasers tuned near a three-photon resonance and simultaneously near or at a dipole allowed four-photon resonance. In studies with unfocused laser beams, if the phase mismatch of the generated four-wave-mixing field is large and the related two-photon resonance for the absorption of a four-wave-mixing photon and a laser photon results in strong absorption of the four-wave-mixing field, a coherent cancellation occurs between the pumping of the resonance by two- and four-photon processes. This interference effect occurs when the first laser is tuned on either side of the three-photon resonance and \ensuremath{\Vert}\ensuremath{\Delta}kr{\mathit{k}}_{\mathit{r}}kr​L\ensuremath{\Vert}\ensuremath{\gg}1, where \ensuremath{\Delta}kr{\mathit{k}}_{\mathit{r}}kr​ is the mismatch and L is the length of the path of the laser beams in the gas. With focused laser beams large differences occur between ionization with unidirectional beams and with counterpropagating laser beams when \ensuremath{\Vert}\ensuremath{\Delta}kr{\mathit{k}}_{\mathit{r}}kr​b\ensuremath{\Vert}\ensuremath{\gg}1, where b is the confocal parameter of the focused laser beams. Strong absorption of the four-wave-mixing field is shown not to be necessary for strong destructive interference with focused laser beams when the phase mismatch is large. This work also suggests an explanation for earlier experiments where the presence of a four-photon resonance enabled the generation of third-harmonic light in a positively dispersive wavelength region. We argue that this process can occur when the laser used to achieve the four-photon resonance is focused on the small z (z is the coordinate in the direction of propagation) side of the focal point of the laser responsible for the third-harmonic generation. In this way the absorption of the third-harmonic light on one side of the focal point is made much stronger than on the other side. Correspondingly, contributions to the third-harmonic field from the two sides of the focal point are unequal and cannot undergo complete destructive interference as would otherwise occur in a positively dispersive region.
When a principal atomic transition (dipole allowed from the ground state) is driven by odd- multi-photon excitation or by stimulated hyper-Raman scattering, a nonlinear multi-wave mixing field is generated at the transition frequency. A number of dramatic effects on such odd-photon mediated processes can ensue as a result of the internally generated wave-mixing fields. Excellent agreement between theory and experimental studies in Xe and in metal vapors is illustrated for a number of predicted effects including: suppression and strong shifting of resonance lines and hyper-Raman emissions under single and multi-laser excitation. We illustrate the dependence of the interference-related effects on pressure, oscillator strength, wavelength combination and relative propagation directions of pump laser beams. Contrary to most other nonlinear effects, we show that none of the features (in the semi-classical regime) depends on the intensity of the driving laser field.
Two-color excitation by spatially coherent and incoherent laser beams has been used to study three-photon-resonant excitation and subsequent ionization of xenon in conditions, when internally generated sum-frequency field plays an important role in excitation of atomic resonances through interfering one-photon excitation pathway. We show that the incoherence in one of the pumping fields reduces the efficiency of generated sum-frequency field, and thus suppresses the interference between the three- and the one-photon excitation channels. The degree of suppression is controlled by varying the crossing angle between coherent and incoherent laser beams. We show that ionization profiles can be analyzed on the basis of the well-studied interference of one- and three-photon transition amplitudes, but with pumping field decomposed into multiple small-scale uncorrelated domains where coherent process of four-wave mixing occurs. The gain length for a coherent process in these domains depends on the coherence degree and excitation geometry. It gives a possibility of controlling the contribution of coherent processes to the excitation of multiphoton resonances.
We have demonstrated an interference between multiphoton ionization processes that results in a phase-sensitive enhancement or inhibition of the net ionization rate. We focus two laser beams, either of which can induce an atomic transition between the same two states, into a cell containing atomic mercury. One of the fields is at a wavelength of 185 nm and can linearly induce the 6s 1S0 → 6p 1P1 transition in mercury. The other field is at a wavelength precisely three times as long, and it can excite the 6p resonance by a three-photon process. The absorption of two additional visible photons ionizes the mercury. In the presence of both fields, the transition amplitudes interfere, and their relative phases become very important. Their phases can be controlled by controlling the phases of the optical fields inducing the transitions. Coherence between the two fields, vital for the interference, is ensured by generating one field from the other using a nonlinear third-harmonic process. We have also demonstrated the effect of spatial phase variations between the two fields on the local photo-ionization rate.
A system is described in which a real molecular state is tuned into and out of resonance with the intermediate level of a two-photon transition, by the laser-induced ac-Stark effect. Two narrow-band CO2 wave-guide lasers are utilized to induce rovibrational transitions in the ν3 ladder of SF6. A weak probe laser monitors the absorption for the [Formula: see text] two-photon transition. Simultaneously, a strong pump laser is in resonance with the [Formula: see text] one-photon transition. The ac-Stark splitting is observed and quantum interferences between two-photon amplitudes involving different intermediate states occur. It is demonstrated that destructive interference allows suppression of the two-photon excitation for an appropriate pump laser power. Simulations based on the Dressed State Picture and the optical Bloch equations show a satisfactory agreement with the experiment.