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arXiv · 2510.07455

Letokhov-Chebotayev intracavity trapping spectroscopy of H$_2$

Wim Ubachs·Frank M. J. Cozijn·Meissa L. Diouf·Clement Lauzin·Hubert Jóźwiak·Piotr Wcisło
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Abstract

In the early days of laser spectroscopy Letokhov and Chebotayev proposed a scheme for measuring narrow spectral lines where the resolution is not restricted to Doppler effects because the molecules are entrained in a standing-wave light field. Now, such one-dimensional trapping in the intensity maxima of an intracavity field, slightly detuned from resonance, is experimentally demonstrated in the measurement of the very weak S(0) (2-0) quadrupole overtone transition in H$_2$ at 1189 nm. The trapping manifests as an extremely narrow absorption feature at the predicted zero-recoil position, a 70 kHz shift from the blue-recoil component observed in Lamb-dip spectroscopy. A quantitative analysis of the saturation and trapping conditions supports the findings.

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Wim Ubachs, Frank M. J. Cozijn, Meissa L. Diouf, Clement Lauzin, Hubert Jóźwiak, Piotr Wcisło. 2025-10-08. Letokhov-Chebotayev intracavity trapping spectroscopy of H$_2$. https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.07455

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