Title :
Diode laser absorption spectroscopy for teaching undergraduate physics
Author :
Otieno, A.V. ; Muthoka, B.M.J.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. & Electron. Eng., Nairobi Univ., Kenya
fDate :
6/21/1905 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
We describe the application of a 780 nm diode laser in studying the rubidium D2 transitions (52P3/2-52S 1/2) at 780.2 nm., which has a well known energy structure, by frequency scanning the resonance lines and observing the absorption spectrum to illustrate the role of the nucleus in atomic structure beyond the first order leading to hyperfine interaction in 87Rb. The experiment yields very high resolution and illustrates that with diode lasers it is possible to teach undergraduate physics without recourse to expensive laboratory facilities
Keywords :
atomic structure; hyperfine structure; infrared spectra; infrared spectroscopy; laser transitions; resonant states; rubidium; semiconductor lasers; student experiments; 52P3/2-52S1/2; 780 nm; 780 nm diode laser; 87Rb; Rb; absorption spectrum; atomic structure; diode laser absorption spectroscopy; energy structure; frequency scanning; hyperfine interaction; laboratory facilities; resonance lines; rubidium D2 transitions; undergraduate physics teaching; very high resolution; Absorption; Atomic beams; Diode lasers; Education; Energy resolution; Laboratories; Physics; Resonance; Resonant frequency; Spectroscopy;
Conference_Titel :
Africon, 1999 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Cape Town
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-5546-6
DOI :
10.1109/AFRCON.1999.821961
