Advancing laser spectroscopy for lithium-6 studies
Advancing laser spectroscopy for lithium-6 studies lead image
A “vaporized atomic species” refers to atoms that have been separated from solid or liquid forms via extreme heat and move freely as individual particles in vapor. Dense atomic vapors have proven invaluable to various areas of atomic physics research, which often rely on the use of laser spectrometry. But high melting points for substances such as lithium-6 and variations in those melting points can present challenges when it comes to observing a high signal-to-noise ratio laser spectrum.
High temperatures inside atomic ovens can threaten to damage viewports and block the laser spectrum. One existing atomic oven design includes water cooling components around the cell tube and near the optical windows. While the setup provides a wider axial range for heating well above the melting point of 6Li atoms, the distance between the viewports and the region of dense atomic vapor is restrictively small and produces gas coatings on windows that necessitate frequent maintenance.
Song et al. produced a novel heat pipe for spectroscopy experiments with 6Li atoms that features a simple structure with a prolonged axial length that requires no maintenance.
“By simply extending the length and increasing the separation between the viewport and the heating zone, our atomic vapor cell can obtain a high signal-to-noise ratio spectrum of 6Li atoms,” said author Ke Li. “It is structurally simple, maintenance-free, and long-lasting.”
The researchers showed how the design’s additional length, in concert with a special cell heating and cooling arrangement, successfully facilitates 6Li atomic laser spectroscopy and eliminates window contamination. They also suggested that an identical setup can be used to generate vapor of another widely studied isotope, lithium-7.
Source: “A long-lifetime and maintenance-free atomic oven for laser spectroscopy experiment of 6Li atoms,” by Hong-Fang Song, Jie Wu, Ke Li, and Fu-Qiang Wang, AIP Advances (2025). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0252937 .
