Eur. Phys. J. D 60, 231-242 (2010)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2010-00241-2

Saturation spectra of low lying states of Nitrogen: reconciling experiment with theory

¹ Service de Chimie quantique et Photophysique, CP160/09, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
² Laboratoire d'Électronique Quantique, Faculté de Physique, USTHB, BP 32, El-Alia, , USTHB, BP 32, El-Alia, Algiers, Algeria
³ Center for Technology Studies, Malmö University, 205-06 Malmö, Sweden

Corresponding author: ^a mrgodef@ulb.ac.be

Received: 5 May 2010
Revised: 14 July 2010
Published online: 21 September 2010

Abstract

The hyperfine constants of the levels 2p²P)3s ⁴P_J, 2p²P)3p ⁴P and 2p²P)3p ⁴D, deduced by Jennerich et al. [Eur. Phys. J. D 40, 81 (2006)] from the observed hyperfine structures of the transitions 2p²P)3s ⁴P_J 2p²P)3p ⁴P and 2p²P)3s ⁴P_J 2p²P)3p ⁴D recorded by saturation spectroscopy in the near-infrared, strongly disagree with the ab initio values of Jönsson et al. [J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 43, 115006 (2010)]. We propose a new interpretation of the recorded weak spectral lines. If the latter are indeed reinterpreted as crossover signals, a new set of experimental hyperfine constants is deduced, in very good agreement with the ab initio predictions.