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Physical Review A

Continuous-wave second-harmonic generation in sodium vapor

Bruce Sinclair, Malcolm H. Dunn

Published Nov 1, 1986• 9 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A high-resolution study of magnetic-field-induced second-harmonic generation in sodium vapor has been carried out with use of a single-frequency continuous-wave dye laser. Resonant enhancement was obtained by tuning the laser to the frequency of the 3S\ensuremath{\rightarrow}4D two-photon transition of the sodium atom. Experimental and theoretical results are presented showing the variation of the power and polarization properties of the second-harmonic radiation as the laser is tuned across the two-photon resonance, and as the transverse magnetic field is varied.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.34.3989

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We investigated the process of magnetic field- induced optical second harmonic generation (SHG) in sodium vapor with a cw single-frequency dye laser tuned in the vicinity of the resonantly enhancing 3S-4D two-photon transition at 578.7 nm.1 All previous investigators have used pulsed dye lasers with relatively large linewidths.2 By exploiting the narrow linewidth capability of the cw dye laser (0.5 MHz) we have been able to investigate in detail for the first time properties of the SHG process which change across the line profile. We modeled the process on a theory developed from that reported by Uchlki et al.2 The two-photon absorption creates coherent quadrupole moments which rotate in the magnetic field due to Zeeman splitting to allow generation of the second harmonic.

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Polarization rotation effects in atomic sodium vapor

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Polarization rotation effects in atomic sodium vapor are studied both experimentally and theoretically. Two pulsed dye laser beams propagate collinearly through a cell containing sodium vapor. The direction of polarization of a linearly polarized dye laser beam of frequency ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{1}$ is found to be rotated by a circularly polarized beam of frequency ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{2}$. This rotation is due to the difference in refractive index at ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{1}$ for right and left circularly polarized light which is produced by the circularly polarized beam. When ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{1}+{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{2}$ is tuned near the $3S\ensuremath{-}5S$ two-photon transition of atomic sodium, this difference is primarily due to the dispersion associated with the two-photon transition. Other sources of polarization rotation which were identified include (i) real transfers of population to excited atomic levels due to collisionally induced transitions and (ii) optically induced atomic energy-level shifts. The theory includes both the effects of two-photon dispersion and optically induced energy shifts. The application of the two-photon polarization rotation effect as a fast, optically controlled shutter or modulator and as a sensitive detection technique for two-photon spectroscopy are briefly discussed.

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Resonant Enhancement of Two-Photon Absorption in Sodium Vapor

John E. Bjorkholm, P. F. Liao

Resonant enhancement of over 7 orders of magnitude of the two-photon absorption cross section is observed in sodium vapor. Two cw dye-laser beams of different frequencies and propagating in opposite directions are utilized to generate high-resolution spectra which allow the enhancement as well as destructive-interference effects of nearly resonant intermediate states to be clearly demonstrated.

Physical Review Letters•Jul 15, 1974•205 citations
A high-resolution study of magnetic-field-induced second-harmonic generation in sodium vapor has been carried out with use of a single-frequency continuous-wave dye laser. Resonant enhancement was obtained by tuning the laser to the frequency of the 3S\ensuremath{\rightarrow}4D two-photon transition of the sodium atom. Experimental and theoretical results are presented showing the variation of the power and polarization properties of the second-harmonic radiation as the laser is tuned across the two-photon resonance, and as the transverse magnetic field is varied.
We investigated the process of magnetic field- induced optical second harmonic generation (SHG) in sodium vapor with a cw single-frequency dye laser tuned in the vicinity of the resonantly enhancing 3S-4D two-photon transition at 578.7 nm.1 All previous investigators have used pulsed dye lasers with relatively large linewidths.2 By exploiting the narrow linewidth capability of the cw dye laser (0.5 MHz) we have been able to investigate in detail for the first time properties of the SHG process which change across the line profile. We modeled the process on a theory developed from that reported by Uchlki et al.2 The two-photon absorption creates coherent quadrupole moments which rotate in the magnetic field due to Zeeman splitting to allow generation of the second harmonic.
An experimental and theoretical study of magnetic-field-induced sum-frequency mixing in sodium vapor has been carried out using two single-frequency, continuous-wave dye lasers as the sources of the fundamental radiation. In addition to the usual two-photon resonant enhancement of the three-wave-mixing nonlinear-optical process, the use of near- or on-resonant single-photon transitions for further resonant enhancement was investigated. The macroscopic phase-matching behavior of the sum-frequency mixing was examined with the intermediate states off resonance. Experimental and theoretical results are presented to illustrate the differences that occur between the coherent quadrupole emission and the incoherent cascade fluorescence when the intermediate states in the two-photon absorption are resonant. Control over the single-photon resonant enhancement and the sum-frequency-mixing phase matching was achieved to increase the power conversion efficiency to 1.2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}5}$.
A single-frequency c.w. dye laser has been used to study the properties of second-harmonic generation in sodium vapour induced by a magnetic field. Theoretical modelling shows that the phase as well as the magnitude of the generated second harmonic depends on the magnetic field strength. By using an appropriate magnetic field gradient it is thus possible to reduce the effects of phase-velocity mismatching, and this has been demonstrated experimentally. The effects of buffer gas pressure on second-harmonic generation have also been studied.
We analyze second harmonic generation in sodium vapor in a transverse magnetic field induced by the two-photon resonant excitation of the 3S-3D transition. The phenomenon is explained by the rotation of the two-photon induced quadrupole moment in the magnetic field. The analysis explains well the saturation of the intensity and rotation of the polarization of the second harmonic radiation in the higher magnetic field ≳0.5{\gtrsim}0.5≳0.5 kG. The collisional decay rate of the coherence of the E1 forbidden transition has been measured as an application of this SHG.
Polarization rotation effects in atomic sodium vapor are studied both experimentally and theoretically. Two pulsed dye laser beams propagate collinearly through a cell containing sodium vapor. The direction of polarization of a linearly polarized dye laser beam of frequency ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{1}$ is found to be rotated by a circularly polarized beam of frequency ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{2}$. This rotation is due to the difference in refractive index at ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{1}$ for right and left circularly polarized light which is produced by the circularly polarized beam. When ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{1}+{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{2}$ is tuned near the $3S\ensuremath{-}5S$ two-photon transition of atomic sodium, this difference is primarily due to the dispersion associated with the two-photon transition. Other sources of polarization rotation which were identified include (i) real transfers of population to excited atomic levels due to collisionally induced transitions and (ii) optically induced atomic energy-level shifts. The theory includes both the effects of two-photon dispersion and optically induced energy shifts. The application of the two-photon polarization rotation effect as a fast, optically controlled shutter or modulator and as a sensitive detection technique for two-photon spectroscopy are briefly discussed.