Two-Photon Technique for the Dissociative Spectroscopy of Simple Molecules

A two-photon technique is reported for the measurement of relative cross sections for the photolysis of simple molecules into particular product channels. In a demonstration of this method, two independently tunable dye lasers were used to dissociate molecules of Cs₂ sequentially for wavelengths in the range 445 to 505 nm, and then to excite the resulting products to determine the relative cross sections for the photolysis of the Cs₂ molecules into each of the energetically possible product states.