A pulsed source for Xe(6s[3/2]1) and Xe(6s′[1/2]1) resonance state atoms using two-photon driven amplified spontaneous emission from the Xe(6p) and Xe(6p′) states
A new, simple method for the generation of Xe(6s[3/2]1) and Xe(6s′[1/2]1) atoms is described. The method involves resonant two-photon excitation of Xe(6p[1/2]0 and 6p′[3/2]2) states followed by amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) to the Xe(6s[3/2]1 and 6s′[1/2]1) states. The vacuum ultraviolet transitions, Xe(6s[3/2]1→5p6(1S0)) at 147 nm and Xe(6s′[1/2]1→5p6(1S0)) at 129.6 nm, were used to monitor the time dependence of the resonance state atom concentrations. The quenching rate constants of these resonance atoms with ten molecules were measured at 300 K. The quenching cross-sections of the Xe(6s and 6s′) resonance atoms are compared to the cross-sections of the metastable Xe(6s[3/2]2) atoms and Xe(6p[3/2]2) atoms. The correlation between quenching cross-sections and photoabsorption cross-section of the molecules predicted by the resonance dipole–dipole energy transfer model is discussed. The applicability of the two-photon driven ASE method for the generation of other resonance state atoms is considered.
A new, simple method for the generation of Xe(6s[3/2]1) and Xe(6s′[1/2]1) atoms is described. The method involves resonant two-photon excitation of Xe(6p[1/2]0 and 6p′[3/2]2) states followed by amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) to the Xe(6s[3/2]1 and 6s′[1/2]1) states. The vacuum ultraviolet transitions, Xe(6s[3/2]1→5p6(1S0)) at 147 nm and Xe(6s′[1/2]1→5p6(1S0)) at 129.6 nm, were used to monitor the time dependence of the resonance state atom concentrations. The quenching rate constants of these resonance atoms with ten molecules were measured at 300 K. The quenching cross-sections of the Xe(6s and 6s′) resonance atoms are compared to the cross-sections of the metastable Xe(6s[3/2]2) atoms and Xe(6p[3/2]2) atoms. The correlation between quenching cross-sections and photoabsorption cross-section of the molecules predicted by the resonance dipole–dipole energy transfer model is discussed. The applicability of the two-photon driven ASE method for the generation of other resonance state atoms is considered.
The kinetic processes for the Xe (6p[1/2] 0 ) atoms in Kr, Ar, Ne, and He buffer gases were studied. We found that Kr, Ar, and Ne atoms can be used to switch the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) channel from 3408 nm (6p[1/2] 0 –6s′[1/2] 1 ) to 3680 nm (5d[1/2] 1 –6p[1/2] 1 ), while Xe and He atoms do not show such a phenomenon. This ASE channel switch is mainly ascribed to the fast transfer of 6p[1/2] 0 → 5d[1/2] 1 . On the basis of the rate equations for two-state coupling (energy-transfer processes between the two states are very rapid), the reason why the ASE channel switch effect normally coincides with a double exponential decay of the spontaneous emission at 828 nm (6p[1/2] 0 –6s[3/2] 1 ) is explained. The actual situations in Xe, Ar, Ne, and He follow this rule. However, the strictly single exponential decay of the spontaneous emission at 828 nm and strong ASE channel switch effect simultaneously emerge in Kr. This indicates that the transfer of 6p[1/2] 0 → 5d[1/2] 1 in Kr does not occur via two-state coupling, but via two steps of near-resonance collision through the 5s[3/2] 2 (Kr) state as the intermediate state (6p[1/2] 0 → 5s[3/2] 2 (Kr) → 5d[1/2] 1 ). In addition, we found Xe (6p[1/2] 0 ) atoms strongly tend to reach the 6p[3/2] 2, 6p[3/2] 1, and 6p[5/2] 2 states through the 5s[3/2] 2 (Kr) state as the intermediate state in Kr. The 5s[3/2] 2 (Kr) state plays a very important role in the energy-transfer kinetics for the Xe (6p[1/2] 0 ) atoms. Kr is probably an excellent buffer gas for laser systems based on Xe.
Stimulated emission (SE) induced by pulsed two-photon excitation of the 6p′[1/2]0, 6p′[3/2]2, 7p[1/2]0, 7p[3/2]2, and 7p[5/2]2 states of the Xe atom has been studied. Spectra of SE were recorded in the 800–3500 nm region, which covers the 6p′, 7p → 7s (2500–3500 nm), 6p′, 7p → 5d (1000–2000 nm), 7s → 6p (1200–1900 nm) transitions, as well as the near-IR 6p → 6s (800–1000 nm) transitions. It is shown that excitation of the 7p states results in radiative cascade via the 7s states, 7p → 7s → 6p, although at least one case of cascading via the 5d states is also observed. Spectra of SE induced by excitation of the 6p′ states are dominated by the 6p′ → 6s′ transitions in the near IR and the 6p′ → 5d[1/2]1 → 6p[1/2]1 → 6s[3/2]1 cascade; the 6p′ → 7s → 6p cascade is also observed, although the secondary 7s → 6p emission is rather weak in comparison with excitation of the 7p states.
Excitation of xenon near the two-photon resonance between the ground state and the 6p(1/2,0) state produces forward conical emission at a wavelength close to the 828-nm 6p(1/2,0)—6s(3/ 2,1) excited-state transition. We describe experimental features of this process as excited by 600-ps pulses of 250-nm radiation from a frequency-doubled dye laser with intensity up to 1.3 × 108 W/ cm2 in xenon at pressures of 1-20 Torr. The conical emission occurs most prominently when the driving field is a few gigahertz above the frequency at which spontaneous emission from the excited 6p state peaks. The cone angle increases with xenon pressure in the 1-10-Torr range. The dependence appears consistent with the predictions based on noncollinearly phase-matched four-wave mixing. In this interpretation, the fourth wave would be near resonance with the 146.9-nm first resonance transition of xenon and detuned to the low-frequency side. The conical emission co-exists (and may compete with) an axial stimulated process which may be either two-photon driven amplified spontaneous emission or stimulated hyper-Raman scattering. The different tuning characteristics for the two processes make the extent of their competition unclear.
We describe collision studies on the two-photon excitation and fluorescence of the xenon 6p[1/2,0] excited state. Molecular nitrogen is the major collision partner. The 250-nm second harmonic of a line-narrowed Hansch-type dye laser excites the 6p state of xenon by two-photon absorption. Sample mixtures contain xenon at a partial pressure of 1 Torr and nitrogen at partial pressures of up to several hundred Torr. Time-resolved and time-integrated measurements of the intensity of the 828-nm 6p[1/2,0]—6s[3/2,1] allowed transition are obtained with photomultipliers, a transient digitizer, and a computerized data acquisition system. We extract pressure-dependent and pressure-independent components of the fluorescence lifetime and fluorescence yield from measurements over a range of nitrogen pressures. When the excitation power density is of the order of 104 W/cm2, the excited xenon atoms decay spontaneously. For spontaneous fluorescence, we obtain an inelastic (quenching) collision cross section of ~10–14 cm2 for xenon-nitrogen collisions, and a pressure-broadening coefficient of ~3 × 107 Hz/(Torr N2) for the two-photon transition rate. For excitation intensities above 2.6 × 106 W/cm2, the xenon atoms radiate cooperatively in a subnanosecond pulse. The fluorescence yield of this cooperative emission increases with nitrogen pressure rather than decreasing as in the spontaneous case. Mechanisms are discussed.
Two-photon absorption cross sections of ground-state xenon atoms to the 2p5(J=0), 2p6(J=2), and 2p9(J=2) states in the 5${p}^{5}6pconfigurationandphotoionizationcrosssectionsat193and248nmfromthe2{p}_{5}$ and 2p6 states have been determined and are compared with previous experimental and theoretical values where such exist. Fluorescence depletion spectroscopy as a method for determining excited-state photoionization cross sections is described and discussed and shown to have many attractive features. Based on our cross-section measurements, we calculate that (2+1)-photon photoionization in Xe with a laser intensity of 30 MW/cm2 during 25 ns at 249.6 nm, using the 2p5(J=0) state as an intermediate state, can produce a fractional ionization of 10%.
Previous experimental work by our group1 has shown that the two-photon excitation of the 6p[1/2,0] state of xenon has a fairly sharp threshold for the onset of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) from the 6p[1/2,0] state to the excited 6s state. The excitation probability has the expected quadratic dependence on excitation intensity below the ASE threshold but an unexpected linear dependence above threshold. We hypothesize that the reduced excitation probability results from an ac Stark shift/broadening of 6p[1/2,0] state by the ASE field. We have numerically solved the coupled Maxwell-Bloch equations with and without the relevant Stark terms. The ASE threshold predicted by the numerical solutions occurs at an intensity about an order of magnitude higher than the experimental value. Because of uncertainties in some of the experimental parameters this difference is not unreasonable. Solution of the equations without Stark terms gives quadratic excitation dependence above the ASE threshold. Including the Stark terms reduces the dependence to a 1.2 power law. The change to a 1.2 power occurs ~50% above ASE threshold, whereas the experimental change occurs almost right at threshold.