High resolution laser spectroscopy of samarium and sodium

A review of some of the aims and techniques of laser spectroscopy is presented. The basic theory of the hyperfine structure and isotope shifts observed in atomic spectral lines is discussed. The king plot technique for the study of isotope shift data, obtained using laser spectroscopy, is examined. Using two tunable dye lasers in heterodyne spectroscopy, hyperfine structure splittings in sodium and samarium and isotope shifts in samarium spectral lines have been measured. A semi quantitative study of samarium spectral lines was also undertaken using a single tunable dye laser which was tuned through resonances in an atomic beam to produce resonant scattering spectra. (U.K.)