Laser parallel mode

A connnon teclmique used to enliance the signal-to-noise ratio for weak modes is to inject a local oscillator field polarized parallel to the RIKE field at the detector. This local oscillator field is derived from the probe laser and will add coherently to the RIKE field [96]. The relative phase of the local oscillator and the RIKE field is an important parameter in describing the optical heterodyne detected (OHD)-RIKES spectrum. If the local oscillator at the detector is in phase with the probe wave, the heterodyne mtensity is proportional to... 

The development of ultrafast spectroscopy has paralleled progress in the teclmical aspects of pulse fomiation [Uj. Because mode-locked laser sources are tunable only with diflSculty, until recently the most heavily studied physical and chemical systems were those that had strong electronic absorption spectra in the neighbourhood of conveniently produced wavelengths. 

Figure 10-15. Output vs. input energy characteristic of our laser device. The horizontal dashed curve indicates the zero line. A clear laser threshold behavior at an excitation pulse energy ol 1.5 nJ is observed. Below the lasing threshold only isotropic phololuminesccncc is entitled. Above threshold the device emits low divergence single mode laser emission perpendicular to the surface, as schematically shown in the inset. The laser light is polarized parallel to the grating lines.

The light source can be a xenon lamp associated with a monochromator. The optical configuration should be carefully optimized because the electro-optic modulator (usually a Pockel s cell) must work with a parallel light beam. The advantages are the low cost of the system and the wide availability of excitation wavelengths. In terms of light intensity and modulation, it is preferable to use a cw laser, which costs less than mode-locked pulsed lasers. 

By far most of the work discussed in this review has been based on LIF detection, usually with an 488 nm Ar-ion laser as the excitation source. Only very few other examples exist in the literature where other detection principles were investigated. One of these exceptions is an integrated detection cell for chip CE that has been described by Liang et al. [78]. In combination with the U-shaped separation channel, two additional well aligned channels to take up the excitation and collection fibers where micromachined in a glass plate. The U-cell provides a longitudinal path of 120 -140 pm in length parallel to the flow direction and can be used both for absorption and fluorescence measurements. The absorption detection limit was 0.003 AU ( 6 pM of a fluorescein dye) in the fluorescence mode a detection limit of 3 nM fluorescein (20 000 molecules) was achieved. 

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