Metastable 2S Research Articles

Influence of focusing intensity on optically pumped metastable rare gas based on laser-induced ionization

When traditional optically pumped metastable rare gas laser (OPRGL) operating in high power output, a potential issue may arise: electromagnetic interference (EMI) caused by large volume atmospheric pressure discharge. This EMI problem imposes limitations on the application of OPRGL. We propose a new idea of preparing metastable atoms by 532 nm laser-induced preionization, which has the potential to circumvent the EMI problem. An 811.5 nm laser was used to excite the metastable (4s[3/2]2) Ar atoms in Ar-He mixture, resulting in the generation of a prominent amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) signal at 912.3 nm (4p[1/2]1→4s[3/2]2). By investigating intensities of the 912.3 nm fluorescence and ASE as a function of the delay time between 811.5 nm and 532 nm lasers, the influence of the 532 nm laser's focusing intensity on the evolution of prepared metastable atomic concentration was unveiled, as well as the amplification mechanism of 912.3 nm signal. Furthermore, the competition mechanism between ASE and the fluorescence channels originating from the 4p[1/2]1 level was studied. Considering the influence of plasma expansion on metastable atomic concentration, as well as the influences of threshold, gain and gain length on ASE, at the “photoexcitation + radiation + collisional relaxation” stage, we obtained a reliable effective lifetime of the metastable 4s[3/2]2 level through analysis of the decay curve of the 912.3 nm ASE intensity. Similarly, in the “ion-electron recombination” stage, a reliable effective lifetime of the metastable 4s[3/2]2 level was obtained by analyzing the decay curve of the 912.3 nm fluorescence intensity. Additionally, the 912.3 nm ASE pulse width was influenced by various factors, including the effective lifetime of the 4p[1/2]1 level, the concentration of metastable Ar, the plasma expansion rate, and the gain length, etc. This work demonstrates that OPRGL based on laser-induced preionization offers a promising alternative for the future advancement of OPRGL.

Population inversion mechanism of optically pumped metastable rare gas based on laser-induced preionization

A 532 nm laser was used to induce ionization of Ar–He mixture, and metastable 4s [3/2]2 level Ar atoms were prepared. The interaction mechanism between laser, Ar atoms, He atoms and free electrons in laser-induced plasma (LIP) was revealed. Through time-resolved atomic emission spectroscopy, two regimes separated by a few microseconds were found during temporal evolution of Ar I 811.5 nm (4p [5/2]3→4s [3/2]2) line. It was demonstrated that the first regime was generated by the “photoexcitation + radiation + collisional relaxation” process, while the second regime was generated by the “ion-electron recombination” process. The above conclusion was confirmed again by the temporal evolution of electron temperature and electron density, and it was also demonstrated that the ionization of Ar atoms induces the ionization of He atoms. A 811.5 nm laser was utilized to excite the metastable 4s [3/2]2 level Ar atoms to the 4p [5/2]3 level, when changing the delay time of the 811.5 nm laser lagging behind the 532 nm laser, the generated 912.3 nm (4p [1/2]1→4s [3/2]2) fluorescence intensity also showed different pattern of variations. The analysis indicated that “photoexcitation + radiation + collisional relaxation”, “ion-electron recombination” and quenching processes will affect the density of metastable 4s [3/2]2 level Ar atoms. Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) signal at 912.3 nm was obtained along the direction of pump laser. This work verifies the feasibility of optically pumped metastable rare gas laser (OPRGL) based on laser-induced preionization, and provides an alternative scheme for the future development of OPRGL.

Symmetry Dependence of the Continuum Coupling in the Chemi-ionization of Li(22S1/2) by He(23S1, 23PJ).

In the literature, the chemi-ionization of Li in the 22S1/2 ground level by He in a metastable state is typically described as an electron transfer process in which an electron from the 2s orbital of Li is transferred to the 1s orbital of He while an electron from the 2s orbital of He is ejected. Therefore, one would not assume that the orbital of the valence electron of He strongly influences the coupling strength of the collision complex to the ionization continuum. However, we observe that the chemi-ionization rate is decreased when He is laser-excited from the metastable 23S1 level to the 23PJ level (with J = 0, 1, 2). A semiclassical treatment of the reaction dynamics reveals a strong dependence of the ionization rate on the reaction-channel-specific ionization width functions to which the observed decrease of the rate coefficients can be related to. The results are relevant for the improved understanding and control of chemi-ionization processes in merged beams and in traps.

On the role of helium metastable (23S1) measured by time resolved tunable diode laser spectroscopy in high current magnetron discharge

Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy is applied to measure the density and gas temperature of helium metastable (23S1) in the ionization region of magnetron discharge operated at very high current density (), which is achievable in helium at 10 Pa with molybdenum target. Those measurements were combined to electrical characterization of the current and the voltage at the magnetron cathode. The discharge current waveform is anti-correlated with the time-evolution of helium metastable () density showing that the main depletion process of is its ionization. Counterintuitively, the higher the gas temperature the lower the discharge peak current. Gas rarefaction and gas recycling are discussed as major contributors for this phenomenon in very high current glow discharge.

Long-Range Interactions for Hydrogen Atoms in Excited D States

Pressure shifts inside an atomic beam are among the more theoretically challenging effects in high-precision measurements of atomic transitions. A crucial element in their theoretical analysis is the understanding of long-range interatomic interactions inside the beam. For excited reference states, the presence of quasi-degenerate states leads to additional challenges, due to the necessity to diagonalize large matrices in the quasi-degenerate hyperfine manifolds. Here, we focus on the interactions of hydrogen atoms in reference states composed of an excited nD state (atom A), and in the metastable 2S state (atom B). We devote special attention to the cases n=3 and n=8. For n=3, the main effect is generated by quasi-degenerate virtual P states from both atoms A and B and leads to experimentally relevant second-order long-range (van-der-Waals) interactions proportional to the sixth inverse power of the interatomic distance. For n=8, in addition to virtual states with two states of P symmetry, one needs to take into account combined virtual P and F states from atoms A and B. The numerical value of the so-called C6 coefficients multiplying the interaction energy was found to grow with the principal quantum number of the reference D state; it was found to be of the order of 1011 in atomic units. The result allows for the calculation of the pressure shift inside atomic beams while driving transitions to nD states.

Magic Wavelengths for 1S–nS and 2S–nS Transitions in Hydrogenlike Systems

We study the magic wavelength for two-photon 1S–nS transitions in a hydrogen and deuterium atom, as well as 2S–nS transitions, where the lower level is the metastable 2S state. At the magic wavelength, the dynamic Stark shifts of the ground and the excited state of the transition coincide, so that the transition frequency is independent of the intensity of the trapping laser field. Experimentally feasible magic wavelengths of transitions with small slopes in the atomic polarizabilities are determined; these are the most stable magic wavelengths against variations of the laser frequency. We provide data for the magic wavelengths for the 1S–nS and 2S–nS transitions in hydrogen and deuterium, with n=2,⋯,8. We also analyze the stability of the elimination of the ac Stark shift at the magic wavelength against tiny variations of the trapping laser frequency from the magic value.

Constraints on Metastable Helium in the Atmospheres of WASP-69b and WASP-52b with Ultranarrowband Photometry

Abstract Infrared observations of metastable 23S helium absorption with ground- and space-based spectroscopy are rapidly maturing, as this species is a unique probe of exoplanet atmospheres. Specifically, the transit depth in the triplet feature (with vacuum wavelengths near 1083.3 nm) can be used to constrain the temperature and mass-loss rate of an exoplanet’s upper atmosphere. Here, we present a new photometric technique to measure metastable 23S helium absorption using an ultranarrowband filter (FWHM 0.635 nm) coupled to a beam-shaping diffuser installed in the Wide-field Infrared Camera on the 200 inch Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory. We use telluric OH lines and a helium arc lamp to characterize refractive effects through the filter and to confirm our understanding of the filter transmission profile. We benchmark our new technique by observing a transit of WASP-69b and detect an excess absorption of 0.498% ± 0.045% (11.1σ), consistent with previous measurements after considering our bandpass. We then use this method to study the inflated gas giant WASP-52b and place a 95th percentile upper limit on excess absorption in our helium bandpass of 0.47%. Using an atmospheric escape model, we constrain the mass-loss rate for WASP-69b to be ( ) at 7000 K (12,000 K). Additionally, we set an upper limit on the mass-loss rate of WASP-52b at these temperatures of ( ). These results show that ultranarrowband photometry can reliably quantify absorption in the metastable helium feature.

Cryogenic atomic hydrogen beam apparatus with velocity characterization.

Precision spectroscopy of hydrogen often relies on effusive thermal atomic beams, and the uncertainty in the velocity distribution of these beams can introduce systematic errors and complicate lineshape models. Here, we present an apparatus capable of high signal-to-noise studies of these velocity distributions at cryogenic temperatures for both ground state (1S) and metastable (2S) hydrogen using a simple time-of-flight technique. We also investigate how the cryogenic nozzle geometry affects these results.

Spatio-temporal distribution of absolute densities of argon metastable 1s5 state in the diffuse area of an atmospheric pressure nanosecond pulsed argon microplasma jet propagating into ambient air

Atmospheric microplasma jets (MPJs) sustained in rare gases have gained increased attention due to their potential to generate highly reactive species. In this paper, we present space- and time-resolved argon metastable densities, Ar(1s5), measured in an atmospheric pressure MPJ operated in Ar and propagating into ambient air using tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (1s5 → 2p9 optical transition). The MPJ was produced using a dielectric barrier discharge energized by short duration (230 ns) high-voltage positive pulses (4.2–6.2 kV) at a repetition frequency of 20 kHz. The spectral absorption line profile was recorded and allowed measurements of the absolute metastable Ar(1s5) density integrated in the line-of-sight of the laser beam under various operating conditions of the MPJ. The results reveal a sensitive dependence of the Ar(1s5) density on spatial coordinates, i.e., distance from the exit of the capillary tube of the discharge and from the axis of the argon jet. The highest Ar(1s5) densities of about 3 × 1013 cm−3 were measured at the axis of the argon jet at longitudinal distances between 4 and 5.5 mm downstream from the nozzle of the tube. The temporal distribution of the Ar(1s5) density, which presents three maxima, is thoroughly discussed in this paper. The spatial distribution of the effective Ar(1s5) lifetime (<250 ns) is also reported, giving some insight into the surrounding environment of the argon metastable atoms. The determined spatiotemporal distributions of the Ar(1s5) density can be useful for the optimization of argon MPJs for different applications like surface or biomedical processes.

Observation of quintuplet spectrum including twice the ground-state Rabi frequency in F = 3/2 metastable state of 3He atoms.

A novel quintuplet spectrum is observed in 3He atoms' metastable state 23S1, when linear polarized light is adopted to probe the alignment component of its F=3/2 hyperfine structure. Static and oscillating magnetic fields produce magnetic resonance and Rabi nutation in ground state 11S0, respectively. After Fourier transform, centre frequency of the metastable-state quintuplet spectrum coincidences with the ground state Larmor frequency, and frequency separations between the five peaks equal to that of ground state Rabi nutation. Similar quintuplet spectrum is observed in 4He metastable state mixed with 3He hybrid vapor.

Absolute total cross sections for electron-impact double ionization of He(1s2s3S) and He−(1s2s2p4P)

We report on the experimental determination of absolute, total cross sections for electron-impact double ionization of helium in its metastable 1s 2s 3 S state and of the helium negative ion He− (1s 2s 2p 4 P). Cross sections are measured for impact energies ranging from threshold to 1000 eV using the animated crossed beams technique. The fast, pure beam of metastable helium required for the experiment is produced by photodetachment of fast He− ions. Results for He(1s 2s 3 S) are compared to those for He(1s 2 1 S), and exhibit similar magnitude and behaviour. The cross section for He− is large compared to other negative ions and indicates the predominance of indirect ionization channels at large impact energies.

Ionization of Hydrogenic 3d State by Electron Impact

The triple differential cross sections estimation have been ascertained theoretically for the ionization of metastable 3d-state hydrogen atoms by electron at 150 eV, 200 eV and 250 eV for assorted kinematic conditions exerting a multiplex scattering principle. The existent new-findings are assimilated with the theoretic data of hydrogenic metastable 2S, 3S and 3P states as well as the hydrogenic ground state experiment. An analysis of the attained observations reveals qualitative fitness with those of compared results specially with hydrogenic ground state BBK model, ground state experimental data and metastable state 2S state results. This is a new theoretical work on hydrogenic metastable 3d state ionization by electron. The substantial progress of the current study offers a wide scope for empirical study in ionization process.

A Method for Measuring the Weak Value of Spin for Metastable Atoms.

A method for measuring the weak value of spin for atoms is proposed using a variant of the original Stern–Gerlach apparatus. A full simulation of an experiment for observing the real part of the weak value using the impulsive approximation has been carried out. Our predictions show a displacement of the beam of helium atoms in the metastable state, , that is within the resolution of conventional microchannel plate detectors indicating that this type of experiment is feasible. Our analysis also determines the experimental parameters that will give an accurate determination of the weak value of spin. Preliminary experimental results are shown for helium, neon and argon in the and metastable states, respectively.

On Precision Measurement of the Frequency of the 11S–23S Forbidden Transition of a Helium Atom

The possibility is demonstrated of a precision frequency measurement for the 11S0−23S1 forbidden transition (at 62.6 nm) of a helium atom using the stimulated Raman scattering method. The 11S0 singlet state is the ground state of 4He, while the metastable 23S1 state has the lowest energy in the triplet part of the spectrum (4He*). The transition has a very small natural width, which allows us to consider it as a possible reference for creation of a frequency standard in the vacuum ultraviolet region.

Five-level argon–helium discharge model for characterization of a diode-pumped rare-gas laser

A five-level discharge kinetics model is developed to characterize the scaling potential of the diode-pumped rare-gas laser. The predicted excited state populations are examined as functions of the gas pressure, gas temperature, electron density, and electron temperature. The density of the metastable Ar(1s5) level is a sensitive function of electron temperature, increasing from 1012 cm−3 at 1 eV to 5×1013 cm−3 at 1.2 eV, for a total pressure of 400 Torr and a gas temperature of 440 K. This is in contrast to the distribution among excited states, which are most sensitive to the electron density and result from the interplay of the electron-impact and neutral-impact spin-orbit mixing rates. The model is benchmarked using absorption, emission, and gain data from recent laser demonstrations. A metastable number-density/path-length product of 1×1014 cm−2 is required for optimal lasing performance at a strong pump intensity of 20 kW/cm2. This system requires an aperture of 6.9 cm2 in order to sustain 100 kW performance in the total volume of 69 cm3. The primary difficulty in the development of such a discharge system is due to the combined requirements of a large-volume, homogeneous, atmospheric pressure discharge with sufficient electron temperature to sustain significant production of the metastable 1s5 state.

Laser absorption spectroscopy for measurement of He metastable atoms of a microhollow cathode plasma

We generated a 0.3-mm-diameter DC, hollow-cathode helium discharge in a gas pressure range of 10–80 kPa. In discharge plasmas, we measured position-dependent laser absorption spectra for helium 23S1–23P0 transition with a spatial resolution of 55 µm. From the results of the analysis of the measured spectra using Voigt functions and including both the Doppler and collision broadening, we produced two-dimensional maps of the metastable 23S1 atomic densities and gas temperatures of the plasmas. We found that, at all pressures, the gas temperatures were approximately uniform in space with values in the range of 400–1500 K and the 23S1 atomic densities were ∼1019 m−3. We also found that the two-dimensional density distribution profiles became ring-shaped at high gas pressures, which is qualitatively consistent with the two-dimensional fluid simulation results.

The Triple Differential Cross Sections for Electron Impact Ionization of Metastable 3s State Hydrogen Atoms with Exchange Effect

A final state wave function of multiple scattering theory developed by Das and seal is utilized in the present study to calculate the triple differential cross sections (TDCS) for the ionization of metastable 3S state hydrogen atoms at incident electron energy of 250 eV with the exchange effects in the asymmetric coplanar geometry for various kinematic conditions. Our present calculation results are compared with the available hydrogenic ground state experimental data and other existing theoretical results. A good qualitative agreement is shown with those of compared results of the present study specifically with hydrogenic ground state experimental data and metastable 2S and 2P state with exchange effect results. These new results offer an extensive scope for experimental verification in such ionization process.

Active fiber-based retroreflector providing phase-retracing anti-parallel laser beams for precision spectroscopy.

We present an active fiber-based retroreflector providing high quality phase-retracing anti-parallel Gaussian laser beams for precision spectroscopy of Doppler sensitive transitions. Our design is well-suited for a number of applications where implementing optical cavities is technically challenging and corner cubes fail to match the demanded requirements, most importantly retracing wavefronts and preservation of the laser polarization. To illustrate the performance of the system, we use it for spectroscopy of the 2S-4P transition in atomic hydrogen and demonstrate an average suppression of the first order Doppler shift to 4 parts in 106 of the full collinear shift. This high degree of cancellation combined with our cryogenic source of hydrogen atoms in the metastable 2S state is sufficient to enable determinations of the Rydberg constant and the proton charge radius with competitive uncertainties. Advantages over the usual Doppler cancellation based on corner cube type retroreflectors are discussed as well as an alternative method using a high finesse cavity.

Hα AS A LUMINOSITY CLASS DIAGNOSTIC FOR K- AND M-TYPE STARS

ABSTRACT We have identified the Hα absorption feature as a new spectroscopic diagnostic of luminosity class in K- and M-type stars. From high-resolution spectra of 19 stars with well-determined physical properties (including effective temperatures and stellar radii), we measured equivalent widths for Hα and the Ca ii triplet and examined their dependence on both luminosity class and stellar radius. Hα shows a strong relation with both luminosity class and radius that extends down to late M spectral types. This behavior in Hα has been predicted as a result of the density-dependent overpopulation of the metastable 2s level in hydrogen, an effect that should become dominant for Balmer line formation in non-LTE conditions. We conclude that this new metallicity-insensitive diagnostic of luminosity class in cool stars could serve as an effective means of discerning between populations such as Milky Way giants and supergiant members of background galaxies.

Precision spectroscopy of 2S–nP transitions in atomic hydrogen for a new determination of the Rydberg constant and the proton charge radius

Precision measurements of transition frequencies in atomic hydrogen provide important input for a number of fundamental applications, such as stringent tests of QED and the extraction of fundamental constants. Here we report on precision spectroscopy of the 2S–4P transition in atomic hydrogen with a reproducibility of a few parts in 1012. Utilizing a cryogenic beam of hydrogen atoms in the metastable 2S state reduces leading order systematic effects of previous experiments of this kind. A number of different systematic effects, especially line shape modifications due to quantum interference in spontaneous emission, are currently under investigation. Once fully characterized, our measurement procedure can be applied to higher lying 2S–nP transitions () and we hope to contribute to an improved determination of the Rydberg constant and the proton root mean square charge radius by this series of experiments. Ultimately, this improved determination will give deeper insight into ‘the proton size puzzle’ from the electronic hydrogen side.