{"id":{"repo_id":"colostate","oai_identifier":"oai:mountainscholar.org:10217/240466"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/colostate/oai:mountainscholar.org:10217/240466","repository":{"repo_id":"colostate","name":"Colorado State University","base_url":"https://api.mountainscholar.org/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Detection and transit time measurements of individual sodium atoms diffusing in a helium flow by the laser resonance fluorescence correlation technique","abstract":"This thesis describes the laser resonance fluorescence correlation technique for single-atom velocity measurement. Using this technique, we have detected individual sodium atoms diffusing through a laser beam in a slow helium flow. From the width of the fluorescence bursts detected, the transit time for the diffusing atom is determined. This is the first measurement of the motion of a single atom in a buffer gas. A probability analysis was developed which allowed us to estimate the average burst size of emitted fluorescence photons by an atom traversing the laser beam. All these results were in general agreement with the theoretical predictions. With improvements, we will be able to measure the velocity of a single-atom either in a flow or in a vacuum. By averaging over many sodium atoms, the diffusion coefficients of sodium atoms in helium and argon buffer gases were investigated using this technique. The measured diffusion coefficients were found to be in reasonable agreement with theoretical predictions and previous experimental results. To our knowledge, this is the first application of resonance fluorescence correlation technique to the measurement of diffusion coefficient of fast moving atoms in gases.","abstract_html":"This thesis describes the laser resonance fluorescence correlation technique for single-atom velocity measurement. Using this technique, we have detected individual sodium atoms diffusing through a laser beam in a slow helium flow. From the width of the fluorescence bursts detected, the transit time for the diffusing atom is determined. This is the first measurement of the motion of a single atom in a buffer gas. A probability analysis was developed which allowed us to estimate the average burst size of emitted fluorescence photons by an atom traversing the laser beam. All these results were in general agreement with the theoretical predictions. With improvements, we will be able to measure the velocity of a single-atom either in a flow or in a vacuum. By averaging over many sodium atoms, the diffusion coefficients of sodium atoms in helium and argon buffer gases were investigated using this technique. The measured diffusion coefficients were found to be in reasonable agreement with theoretical predictions and previous experimental results. To our knowledge, this is the first application of resonance fluorescence correlation technique to the measurement of diffusion coefficient of fast moving atoms in gases.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Pan, Ci-Ling, author","She, C. Y., advisor"],"institution":"Colorado State University. Libraries","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":"Physics","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1979,"date_issued":"1979","date_published":"1979","updated_at":"2026-08-21T22:21:56Z","subjects":["Atoms","Laser spectroscopy"],"languages":["eng","English"],"rights":["Copyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://doi.org/10.25675/3.025026"],"render_values":[{"text":"https://doi.org/10.25675/3.025026","href":"https://doi.org/10.25675/3.025026","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10217/240466","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"source_record":{"url":"https://api.mountainscholar.org/server/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=dim&identifier=oai%3Amountainscholar.org%3A10217%2F240466","prefix":"dim"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Pan, Ci-Ling, author","She, C. Y., advisor"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-04-01T18:31:52Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-04-01T18:31:52Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["1979"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Colorado State University. Libraries"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["Catalog record number (MMS ID): 991002585769703361; QC173.P3"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text","StillImage"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Physics"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Colorado State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Atoms","Laser spectroscopy"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]},{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10217/240466","https://doi.org/10.25675/3.025026"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Covers not scanned. Item deaccessioned after digitization."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis describes the laser resonance fluorescence correlation technique for single-atom velocity measurement. Using this technique, we have detected individual sodium atoms diffusing through a laser beam in a slow helium flow. From the width of the fluorescence bursts detected, the transit time for the diffusing atom is determined. This is the first measurement of the motion of a single atom in a buffer gas. A probability analysis was developed which allowed us to estimate the average burst size of emitted fluorescence photons by an atom traversing the laser beam. All these results were in general agreement with the theoretical predictions. With improvements, we will be able to measure the velocity of a single-atom either in a flow or in a vacuum. By averaging over many sodium atoms, the diffusion coefficients of sodium atoms in helium and argon buffer gases were investigated using this technique. The measured diffusion coefficients were found to be in reasonable agreement with theoretical predictions and previous experimental results. To our knowledge, this is the first application of resonance fluorescence correlation technique to the measurement of diffusion coefficient of fast moving atoms in gases."]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["doctoral dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Detection and transit time measurements of individual sodium atoms diffusing in a helium flow by the laser resonance fluorescence correlation technique"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Pan, Ci-Ling, author","She, C. Y., advisor"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-04-01T18:31:52Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-04-01T18:31:52Z"],"dc:date.issued":["1979"],"dc:description":["Covers not scanned. Item deaccessioned after digitization."],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis describes the laser resonance fluorescence correlation technique for single-atom velocity measurement. Using this technique, we have detected individual sodium atoms diffusing through a laser beam in a slow helium flow. From the width of the fluorescence bursts detected, the transit time for the diffusing atom is determined. This is the first measurement of the motion of a single atom in a buffer gas. A probability analysis was developed which allowed us to estimate the average burst size of emitted fluorescence photons by an atom traversing the laser beam. All these results were in general agreement with the theoretical predictions. With improvements, we will be able to measure the velocity of a single-atom either in a flow or in a vacuum. By averaging over many sodium atoms, the diffusion coefficients of sodium atoms in helium and argon buffer gases were investigated using this technique. The measured diffusion coefficients were found to be in reasonable agreement with theoretical predictions and previous experimental results. To our knowledge, this is the first application of resonance fluorescence correlation technique to the measurement of diffusion coefficient of fast moving atoms in gases."],"dc:format.medium":["doctoral dissertations"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10217/240466","https://doi.org/10.25675/3.025026"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["Colorado State University. Libraries"],"dc:relation":["Catalog record number (MMS ID): 991002585769703361; QC173.P3"],"dc:rights":["Copyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright."],"dc:subject":["Atoms","Laser spectroscopy"],"dc:title":["Detection and transit time measurements of individual sodium atoms diffusing in a helium flow by the laser resonance fluorescence correlation technique"],"dc:type":["Text","StillImage"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Physics"],"thesis:degree_level":["Doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)"],"thesis:institution_name":["Colorado State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-08-21T22:21:56Z"}