Development of two-color laser system for high-resolution polarization spectroscopy measurements of atomic hydrogen

We have developed a high-spectral-resolution laser system for two-photon pump, polarization spectroscopy probe (TPP-PSP) measurements of atomic hydrogen in flames. In the TPP-PSP technique, a 243-nm laser beam excites the two-photon 1S-2S transition, and excited n=2 atoms are then detected by polarization spectroscopy of the n=2 to n=3 transition using 656-nm laser radiation. The single-frequency-mode 243 and 656-nm beams are produced using injection-seeded optical parametric generators coupled with pulsed dye amplifiers. The use of single-mode lasers allows accurate measurement of signal line shapes and intensities even with significant pulse-to-pulse fluctuations in pulse energies. Use of single-mode lasers and introduction of a scheme to select nearly constant laser energies enable repeatable extraction of important spectral features in atomic hydrogen transitions.