Adiabatic population inversion in I2 vapor with picosecond laser pulses

Abstract

Frequency modulated picosecond laser pulses are applied to the X→B electronic transition in I2 vapor. In the adiabatic limit, these pulses generate more excitation in I2 vapor than do ‘‘transform-limited’’ laser pulses. Multilevel effects make it important to match the pulse bandwidth to the material absorption spectrum, as demonstrated experimentally.