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Picosecond Resolution Studies of Ground State Quantum Beats and Rapid Collisional Relaxation Processes in Sodium Vapor

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Picosecond Phenomena III

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Chemical Physics ((CHEMICAL,volume 23))

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Abstract

We report experimental studies of coherent transients and collisional relaxation processes in Na vapor, using degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) with picosecond pulses. These include investigation of the quantum beat modulation (due to the hyperfine splitting of the ground state) of the intensity of the DFWM signal as a function of excitation pulse separation. The picosecond resolution obtained by varying the pulse delay in our DFWM experiments has resulted in the first observation of harmonic structure in the quantum beat modulation, and in the observation of an anomalously rapid (e−1 decay time <50 psec) collisional relaxation process at increased temperatures.

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References

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  6. Another possible mechanism for this rapid decay is the associative ionization of the sodium from the laser-excited 3P states. For instance, see: F. Roussel, B. Carré, P. Breger, and G. S tss, J. Phys. us, L313 (1981); A. de Jong and F. van der Valk, J. Phys. B12, L561 (1979).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hughes Research Laboratories, 3011 Malibu Canyon Road, Malibu, California, 90265, USA

    R. K. Jain

  2. Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

    H. W. K. Tom

  3. Department of Physics, North Texas State University, Denton, Texas, USA

    J. C. Diels

Authors
  1. R. K. Jain
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  2. H. W. K. Tom
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  3. J. C. Diels
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. New York, NY, USA

    K. B. Eisenthal

  2. Philadelphia, PA, USA

    R. M. Hochstrasser

  3. Munich, Fed. Rep. of Germany

    W. Kaiser

  4. Bayreuth, Fed. Rep. of Germany

    A. Laubereau

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© 1982 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Jain, R.K., Tom, H.W.K., Diels, J.C. (1982). Picosecond Resolution Studies of Ground State Quantum Beats and Rapid Collisional Relaxation Processes in Sodium Vapor. In: Eisenthal, K.B., Hochstrasser, R.M., Kaiser, W., Laubereau, A. (eds) Picosecond Phenomena III. Springer Series in Chemical Physics, vol 23. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-87864-0_62

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-87864-0_62

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-87866-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-87864-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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