Laser induced lasing in CS2 vapor

E. Panizza, Paul J. Regensburger

Robert Polly, Stoyan Dinev, Laurentius Windholz +2 more

We report the first observation of laser-induced fluorescence of the CsHg molecule. Cs/Hg vapor mixtures contained in a heat-pipe oven were excited by several different argon ion laser lines. Following these excitations, we observed three distinct peaks at λ=492.8, λ=498.3, and λ=521.5 nm in addition to the well-known fluorescence of the Cs2 molecule. Based on an analysis using ab initio potential energy curves of Cs2 and CsHg, we identified the origin of these three distinct peaks as bound–free transitions of CsHg (λ=492.8: IV3/2→X1/2, λ=498.3: VII1/2→X1/2, and λ=521.5 nm: VI1/2→X1/2). Furthermore, we could show that two different production channels are responsible for the formation of the CsHg molecules in the excited states. The excitation of the Cs/Hg vapor mixtures with wavelengths λexc=476–514 nm of the argon ion laser results in the production of the CsHg molecules via a photoassociation process, whereas the CsHg molecules are produced in a three-body collision following an excitation with λexc=457 nm. These results are confirmed by subsequent quantum-mechanical simulations of the observed laser-induced fluorescence spectra of CsHg.

Yaakov Shevy, M. Rosenbluh, Harry Friedmann

S. MILOSEVIC, F. FUSO, M. ALLEGRINI +2 more

Yuanyuan Li, Yin Gui-qin, Kang Dai +1 more

The fluorescence spectrum of cesium vapor was studied in a cell irradiated with the light of 852.3 nm resonance line from a single mode laser diode. From the intensities and spectra of the Cs and Cs2 fluorescence we identified several collisional and radiative processes in the excited cesium atom-dimer system. The atomic lines of the highly excited states were the result of collisional energy transfer from Cs(6P 3/2) + Cs(6P 3/2) to Cs(6D, 8S) atoms. The Cs2 (B 1 IIu) band formed in Cs (6P) + Cs2 (X1sigmag+) collisions. The fine-structure mixing in 6 2P atoms was studied through excitation transfer, energy-pooling collision, and collisional excitation transfer between Cs2 and Cs. The authors estimated the value of rate coefficient for the collisional energy transfer from 6P3/2 to 6P1/2 to be (5.2+/-2.1) x 10(-11) cm3 x s(-1). For the excitation transfer process Cs2 (B 1 IIu)+ Cs(6S)--> Cs2 (X 1sigmag+) + Cs(6P1/2 ), a rate coefficient of (1.0+/-0.4) x 10(-9) cm3 x s(-1) was yielded.

J. J. Ho, Chongye Wang, Robert A. Bernheim

The effect of optically pumped atomic spin orientation on the atom–dimer equilibrium in cesium vapor has been observed. Such a shift in equilibrium was predicted over two decades ago and is due to the redistribution of spin-determined bonding and antibonding collision trajectories. Orientation of the total spin angular momentum of 6 2S1/2 ground state Cs atoms in the vapor phase was produced by optical pumping with a tunable cw dye laser. A decrease in the equilibrium molecular density resulted and was measured using laser induced fluorescence from the B 1Πu state. The shift in equilibrium is a function of the degree of atomic orientation and could be observed in the temperature range 383–421 K for cesium vapor in a glass cell which also contained a He–N2 buffer gas mixture with a composition ratio of 9:1.