High-Resolution UV Laser Spectroscopy in Atoms, Molecules, and Ions

University Of Connecticut, Storrs CT

Investigators

Abstract

This experimental research program is aimed at high-resolution laser spectroscopy on systems chosen for their importance to fundamental physics. One experiment is a measurement of fine-structure intervals in singly ionized iron and other species. The second is a new determination of the ionization potential (IP) of the hydrogen molecule, which serves as a benchmark for theoretical treatments of this simplest of neutral molecules. The third experiment involves a much-improved determination in another two-electron system, the 1S-2S interval in atomic helium. The fourth experiment follows recent theoretical trends by generalizing to a three-electron system, atomic lithium, in which the IP and the 6Li-7Li-isotope shift will be accurately determined. All four experiments take advantage of the same basic laser scheme, involving pulsed amplification of a cw laser by use of amplifiers pumped by an injection-seeded Nd:YAG laser. The broader impact of the program will involve education, international collaborations and efforts in diversity.