Observation of saturated absorption resonances in a molecular J2 beam subjected to separated fields

The Doppler broadening of the absorption lines of the J₂ molecules was suppressed by a combination of the saturated absorption and molecular beam methods. Saturated absorption resonances were observed at the components of the hyperfine structure of the P(13) and R(15) branches of the ¹Σ⁺_g(X)→³Π⁺_ou(B) electronic transition in the J₂ molecules subjected to 514.5 nm radiation from an argon laser. The optical fields were separated spatially by 3.5 cm along the molecular beam. The advantages of this method of inducing narrow resonances were considered from the point of view of their reproducibility.