Probing Cold Supersonic Jets with Optical Frequency Combs

TL;DR

Scientists used a special laser to study cold acetylene molecules in a supersonic jet, achieving high precision and sensitivity.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel method for high-resolution spectroscopy of cold molecules using a frequency comb and cavity enhancement.

Findings

The technique achieved a spectral precision better than 2 MHz.

The minimum detectable absorption was 7.8 × 10−7 cm−1 over an 18 m path length.

Abstract

We report high-resolution, cavity-enhanced direct frequency comb Fourier transform spectroscopy of cold acetylene (C2H2) molecules in a planar supersonic jet expansion. The experiment is based on a near-infrared frequency comb with a 300 MHz effective repetition rate, matched to a high-finesse enhancement cavity traversing the jet. The rotational and translational cooling of acetylene was achieved via expansion in argon carrier gas through a slit nozzle. By interleaving successive mode-resolved spectra measured at different comb repetition rates, we retrieved full absorption line profiles. Spectroscopic analysis reveals sharp, Doppler-limited transitions corresponding to a jet core rotational temperature below 7 K. Frequency comb and cavity stabilization were achieved through active Pound–Drever–Hall locking and mechanical vibration damping, enabling a spectral precision better than 2 MHz, limited by the vibrations induced by the pumping system. The demonstrated sensitivity reaches a minimum detectable absorption of 7.8 × 10−7 cm−1 over an 18 m effective path length in the jet core. This work illustrates the potential of cavity-enhanced direct frequency comb spectroscopy for precise spectroscopic characterization of cold supersonic expansions, with implications for studies in molecular dynamics, reaction kinetics, and laboratory astrophysics.

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