Experimental studies of the interaction of the nucleus with long-wavelength radiation

A well known phenomenon in Moessbauer spectroscopy is the formation of sidebands in iron foils which have been immersed in intense radio frequency fields. The mechanism or mechanisms responsible for their production is, however, not well understood. In this work, strong arguments were made in support of the multiphoton model for nuclear excitation as the dominant mechanism. These arguments were based on the results of previous workers in the field, as well as on the results of the new experiments done here. Having established that the rf sidebands were multiphoton in nature, attempts were made to further apply the concepts of Quantum Electronics to the nucleus. The result was the development of Nuclear Raman Spectroscopy (NRS). In this form of nuclear spectroscopy, one has the potential for achieving resolution in excess of that available with current Moessbauer techniques, along with the potential for range comparable to that of conventional gamma fluorescence techniques. In addition, it was discussed how, by a simple change of geometry, one could convert the existing experimental arrangement, into one capable of generating tunable, sub-Angstrom radiation