Letokhov-Chebotayev Intracavity Trapping Spectroscopy of H 2
Wim Ubachs, Frank M. J. Cozijn, Meissa L. Diouf +3 more
In the early days of laser spectroscopy, Letokhov and Chebotayev proposed a scheme for measuring narrow spectral lines where the resolution is not restricted to Doppler effects because the molecules are entrained in a standing-wave light field. Now, such one-dimensional trapping in the intensity maxima of an intracavity field, slightly detuned from resonance, is experimentally demonstrated in the measurement of the very weak S(0) (2-0) quadrupole overtone transition in H_{2} at 1189 nm. The trapping manifests as an extremely narrow absorption feature at the predicted zero-recoil position, a 70 kHz shift from the blue-recoil component observed in Lamb-dip spectroscopy. A quantitative analysis of the saturation and trapping conditions supports the findings.
arXiv:2510.07455•Physical Review Letters•Oct 8, 2025•5 citations