Abstract

Two special problems confront the spectroscopist who studies transition-metal containing diatomic molecules: the dominance of nominally forbidden s-d and d-d metal-centered transitions, which make the application of non-linear spectroscopies difficult; and the huge number of molecular states, which dilute the observable laser-induced fluorescence at a given detection wavelength. To combat both of these problems simultaneously, we have constructed a fluorescencebased continuous wave, laser intracavity spectrometer which provides tunable laser light of high intensity (> 500 W/cm²) over a large spatial region (greater than 0.1 cm³), greatly increasing the amount of observable fluorescence and facilitating saturation of weak optical transitions as compared to extracavity spectroscopy. Using examples from the spectra of gas phase ⁵⁸NiH, ⁶¹NiH, and ⁵⁸NiO radicals, we illustrate the capability of this spectrometer to rapidly and efficiently gather information crucial to the verification of electronic structure models.

© 1990 Optical Society of America