Investigation of alignment dynamics in Mg-Ne and Mg-Ar two-photon fractional collisions

Thesis/Dissertation · Thu Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:121164

Olsgaard, D A

A new technique is used to observe the dynamics of electronic alignment in a dissociating collision complex. The technique requires the absorption of two optical photons during a single binary collision. Two exciting light fields are tuned into the wings of the 3s{sup 1}S{sub o}-3p{sup 1}P{sub 1} and 3p{sup 1}P{sub 1}-5s{sup 1}S{sub o} resonances of Mg where strong collisions with rare gas atoms induce transitions between corresponding molecular states. The alignment produced in the intermediate state by the first6 excitation is probed by the second laser as a function of relative linear laser polarization and laser detunings. This accesses a range of interatomic separations and produces a spectrum which represents a frequency domain analog of the time evolution of the alignment in the intermediate state. Spectra for Mg-Ne and Mg-Ar show features which depend strongly on the rare gas and the details of the interatomic potentials. Observed polarizations range 10% to 100%.

• Research Organization: Old Dominion Univ., Norfolk, VA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 121164
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

66 PHYSICS
ARGON
ATOM-ATOM COLLISIONS
INTERATOMIC DISTANCES
INTERATOMIC FORCES
MAGNESIUM
MULTI-PHOTON PROCESSES
NEON