A new technique of collecting and presenting spectroscopic data has
been used to generate atomic spectra which are quasi-continuous in energy
and electric field. A stark map of sodium generated by this technique is
shown here. Click on the map to see a bigger image and links to
theoretical calculations.
The laser frequency is scanned over the required energy range while the atoms that are excited are subjected to a uniform electric field gradient along the laser beam. A slit aligned along the beam is used to extract the ions created by field-ionizing the excited atoms. The intensity of ion signal as a function of length along the slit corresponds to the atomic energy levels at a particular energy as a function of the electric field. Scans of the laser taken over different ranges of electric field are then put together to generate a continuous stark map of sodium. We have also used this data to generate a scaled energy spectrum of sodium. Click here to view this work.
A poster that was created for this experiment can be viewed here.