Date of Award

Winter 1995

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Physics

Committee Director

Mark D. Havey

Committee Member

Leposava Vuskovic

Committee Member

Rocco Schiavilla

Committee Member

Gilbert Hoy

Committee Member

Linda Vahala

Abstract

Relative dipole matrix elements are measured by means of a new spectroscopic technique called polarization interference spectroscopy. It is a two-color two-photon nonresonant process that maps the matrix elements into the energy domain by means of quantum mechanical interference. The technique measures the relative magnitude of the reduced matrix elements, particularly those involving excited states, to accuracies that are an order of magnitude better than previously available. Also, for the first time the relative phase of the reduced matrix elements is measured. The ratio of reduced matrix elements for the transitions 3s 2S1/2 →3P 2P3/2 →5s 2S1/2 to 3s 2S1/2 →3P 2P1/2 →5s 2S1/2 in sodium is +1.0012(12). This result is in agreement with the result of +1 for J independent matrices.

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DOI

10.25777/rmja-vh83

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