Near-resonant Rayleigh scattering and atomic flame flourescence spectroscopy

Near-resonant Rayleigh scattering and collision-induced resonance fluorescence of sodium have been observed in a combustion environment at atmospheric pressure. Sodium atoms in the equilibrium region of a flat-flame burner were excited by a pulsed-dye laser. The behavior of the two signals as the laser was detuned from the resonance line was studied and was found to agree with theoretical predictions. The results have important implications for atomic flame-fluorescence spectroscopy in that trapping is avoided at large atom number densities.