Saturation in laser excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry: experimental verification

The use of lasers to saturate an energy level of an atomic or molecular species is becoming almost commonplace. In this paper measurements of fluorescence signal vs laser power are reported. When a log-log plot of these data departs from the slope of unity saturation is invoked, but when the curve does not roll over B(F max) (fluorescence radiance) is lost. The shapes of the experimental log B(F) vs log E(nu) curves are investigated and also their absolute values with respect to theory.