High-frequency Doppler-free spectroscopy techniques are extended to weak UV transitions by combined visible-UV three-level saturation spectroscopy with no requirement of an intense UV source. Preliminary experiments in neon discharge are reported.
We report the development of a simple method for eliminating coherent background noise and fluctuations from saturation spectroscopy signals. With this technique, which utilizes a traveling-wave acousto-optic modulator to simultaneously frequency-shift and modulate the saturating beam, we have routinely observed zero background, Doppler-free saturation resonances in the I2 at 514.5 nm. With a low-noise laser or high pump modulation frequency, we have achieved detection sensitivity approaching the fundamental quantum limit.
A review of coherent transients is presented in this article. After a brief discussion of single-wave transients (free induction decay, optical nutation, etc...), two-wave transients, i.e. time-resolved saturation spectroscopy, are treated in more detail. It is shown that this technique of combining both frequency-and-time-resolution in laser spectroscopy allows one to study the various quantum-mechanical processes contributing to the lineshape, in particular (i) the interaction between the laser field and the atomic (or molecular) system, and (ii) the dynamics of the relaxation of the system. Applications to the analysis of Raman-type processes in three-level systems, power-broadening and velocity diffuston are given.