Hyperfine spectral studies of f-transition elements by diode laser-assisted resonance ionization mass spectrometry

Semiconductor diode lasers have been used to promote bound-bound transitions that are one step of a multiple photon process used for resonance ionization mass spectrometry (RIMS). It was found that the hyperfine structure of such a transition can be measured if a diode laser is wavelength tuned across the energy of that step in the RIMS process. The ability to obtain such high resolution spectra is believed to be a result of the ion extraction geometry of their experimental configuration. This concept has been demonstrated with lanthanum in a study of the 2D3/2 or 2D5/2-4F03/2 transition. Both lanthanum-139 and -138 have been studied, and the first measurements of the atomic hyperfine structure constants of the 4F03/2 level at 13,260 cm-1 have been made. The experimental details of this study, along with new experimental results for other f-transition elements will be given