Lamb-dip spectroscopy of buffer-gas-cooled molecules
Year: 2019
Authors: Di Sarno V., Aiello R., De Rosa M., Ricciardi I., Mosca S., Notariale G., De Natale P., Santamaria L., Maddaloni P.
Autors Affiliation: CNR, INO, Via Campi Flegrei 34, I-80078 Pozzuoli, Italy; Ist Nazl Fis Nucl, Sez Napoli, Complesso Univ MS Angelo, Via Cintia, I-80126 Naples, Italy; CNR, INO, Largo E Fermi 6, I-50125 Florence, Italy; Ist Nazl Fis Nucl, Sez Firenze, Via G Sansone 1, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; ASI, Contrada Terlecchia, I-75100 Matera, Italy.
Abstract: Nowadays, buffer-gas cooling represents an invaluable option to produce cold stable molecules, both in view of secondary cooling/trapping strategies towards the achievement of quantum degeneracy and for fundamental studies of complex molecules. From this follows a demand to establish a pool of specialized, increasingly precise spectroscopic interrogation techniques. Here, we demonstrate a general approach to Lamb-dip ro-vibrational spectroscopy of buffergas-cooled molecules. The saturation intensity of the selected molecular transition is achieved by coupling the probe laser to a high-finesse optical cavity surrounding the cold sample. A cavity ring-down technique is then implemented to perform saturation sub-Doppler measurements as the buffer (He) and molecular gas flux are varied. As an example, the ν1 ν3 R(1) ro-vibrational line in a 20 Kelvin acetylene sample is addressed. By referencing the probe laser to a Rb/GPS clock, the corresponding line-center frequency as well as the self and foreign (i.e., due to the buffer gas) collisional broadening coefficients are absolutely determined. Our approach represents an important step towards the development of a novel method to perform ultra-precise ro-vibrational spectroscopy on an extremely wide range of cold molecules. In this respect, we finally discuss a number of relevant upgrades underway in the experimental setup to considerably improve the ultimate spectroscopic performance.
Journal/Review: OPTICA
Volume: 6 (4) Pages from: 436 to: 441
KeyWords: Lamb-dip spectroscopy; buffer gas cooling; ring-down spectroscopy; radiocarbon dioxide; frequency; resolution; laser; band; NMDOI: 10.1364/OPTICA.6.000436ImpactFactor: 9.778Citations: 16data from “WEB OF SCIENCE” (of Thomson Reuters) are update at: 2024-10-13References taken from IsiWeb of Knowledge: (subscribers only)Connecting to view paper tab on IsiWeb: Click hereConnecting to view citations from IsiWeb: Click here