Applications of a tunable VUV laser in atomic and molecular physics

Abstract

The vacuum ultraviolet wavelength region from, say, 200 to 50 nm, is of basic interest and importance for many areas of physics and chemistry. Experimental work in this region has gained a dramatic increase by the synchrotron radiation. In recent years, the region is rapidly also becoming accessible to tunable lasers. In fact, the whole range down to about 100 nm can now in principle be covered by tunable, narrow-band, pulsed laser radiation of relatively high intensity, and projections are that soon the range will be further extended to ∼50 nm. FEL radiation would mean, of course, another breakthrough in this spectral region with the potential of a wide spectrum of experimental applications. In this paper we wish to indicate the state-of-art of tunable laser radiation in the vacuum ultraviolet by discussing some cases of applications in various parts of physics and chemistry. Examples will be given where tunable VUV laser light is employed both for state selective pumping and probing of atomic and molecular elementary processes, for instance, photoionization, photodissociation and chemical reactions.