Efficient stimulated Raman pumping for quantum state resolved surface reactivity measurements

We describe the use of stimulated Raman pumping in a molecular beam to perform quantum state resolved gas-surface reactivity measurements for molecules prepared in totally symmetric vibrational states. Vibrational states of homonuclear diatomics as well as totally symmetric vibrations of polyatomic molecules cannot be prepared by direct infrared excitation but are accessible through stimulated Raman pumping by two laser fields when the difference between the incident laser frequencies matches the vibration. We generate a suitable resonant pair of high-energy pump and Stokes laser beams in an injection seeded Raman amplifier filled with the sample gas and equipped with internal gas recirculation. The ability to partially saturate the Raman pumping process in the molecular beam is used to quantify the fraction of vibrationally excited molecules in the irradiated volume, which is needed for quantitative reactivity measurements. We illustrate the method with state resolved reactivity measurements for CH4, prepared in its symmetric C-H stretch vibration on a Ni(100) single crystal surface. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.