Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
Published on: June 7, 2018
Temperature dependence of the E ? 2A far-infrared absorption line of excited chromium ions in ruby
Abstract:
By using far-infrared laser spectroscopy we have studied the temperature dependence of the absorption that is due to transitions between the E ((2)E) and 2A ((2)E) levels of excited Cr(3+) ions in ruby. From the temperature dependence of the linewidth we determined the inhomogeneous and the homogeneous contributions to line broadening. From the homogeneous width the lifetime of the 2A level was obtained. We found that, for emperatures up to 70 K, the lifetime is due mainly to one-phonon relaxation, whereas at higher temperatures another relaxation process, probably a two-phonon Raman process, becomes strong.
Related Concept Videos
Atomic Spectroscopy: Effects of Temperature
At thermal equilibrium, the relative populations of excited and ground state atoms can be estimated using the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution. For example, an increase in temperature from...
IR Frequency Region: Fingerprint Region
The...
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Radiation and Light Sources
Two common narrow-range 'line' sources used in AAS are hollow-cathode lamps (HCLs) and...
IR Spectroscopy: Hooke's Law Approximation of Molecular Vibration
According to Hooke's law, the vibrational frequency is directly proportional to the...

