High Resolution Multiphoton Spectroscopy by a Tunable Free-Electron-Laser Light

Seeded free electron lasers theoretically have the intensity, tunability, and resolution required for multiphoton spectroscopy of atomic and molecular species. Using the seeded free electron laser FERMI and a novel detection scheme, we have revealed the two-photon excitation spectra of dipole-forbidden doubly excited states in helium. The spectral profiles of the lowest (-1,0)(+1) S-1(e) and (0,1)(0) D-1(e) resonances display energy shifts in the meV range that depend on the pulse intensity. The results are explained by an effective two-level model based on calculated Rabi frequencies and decay rates.