Lifetime Measurements in Neutral Erbium using Time-Resolved Laser Spectroscopy

Abstract

Natural radiative lifetimes, measured by time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy, are reported for eighteen levels of neutral erbium belonging to the odd-parity 4f126s6p, 4f115d6s2, 4f115d26s and 4f115d6s7s configurations in the wavenumber range from 26 237 to 42 154 cm-1. Free erbium atoms were produced in a laser-induced plasma. Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) techniques were employed to produce laser pulses as short as 1 ns for the excitation of short-lived levels, and special care was taken to avoid flight-out-of-view effects on the long lifetime measurements.