Laser spectroscopy: Basic concepts and instrumentation

Questions concerning the absorption and emission of light are investigated, taking into account cavity modes, thermal radiation and Planck's law, basic photometric quantities, discrete and continuous spectra, absorption and dispersion, transition probabilities, linear and nonlinear absorption, a semiclassical description, and aspects of coherence. Widths and profiles of spectral lines are considered along with spectroscopic instrumentation, the fundamental principles of lasers, lasers as spectroscopic light sources, tunable coherent light sources, Doppler-limited absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy with lasers, laser Raman spectroscopy, and high-resolution sub-Doppler laser spectroscopy. Attention is given to time-resolved laser spectroscopy, the laser spectroscopy of collision processes, and the ultimate resolution limit. Applications of laser spectroscopy are related to laser photochemistry, laser isotope separation, laser monitoring of the atmosphere, laser spectroscopy in biology, and medical research and hospital practice.