2026/07/17 by Qinxue Nie, Vinicius Silva de Oliveira, Adrian Hjältén +3
#physics.optics
Accurate experimentally verified models of molecular hot-band transitions are essential for interpreting high-temperature spectra in environments ranging from exoplanetary atmospheres to combustion systems. However, line-resolved measurements of infrared hot-band transitions reaching highly excited vibrational states above 10000 cm-1 are missing because these transitions are too weak to observe at room temperature and become spectrally congested at elevated temperatures. Here, we introduce a nonlinear spectroscopic approach that enables simultaneous measurement of individual infrared hot-band transitions between four vibrational bands up to 12000 cm-1 over a broad spectral range with sub-Doppler resolution and sub-MHz frequency accuracy (10-10 relative line position accuracy). The methods is based on an all-optical triple-resonance (AOTR) scheme that combines stepwise mid-infrared pumping using an optical-frequency-comb-stabilized, double-seeded continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator with broadband highly sensitive near-infrared probing using a cavity-enhanced optical frequency comb. As a proof of principle, we measure transitions between high polyads (P) of methane - groups of strongly interacting, near-degenerate vibrational energy states arising from couplings between the C-H stretching and bending modes. In a single probe spectrum, we simultaneously resolve sub-Doppler P4←P0, P6←P2 and P8←P4 transitions, reaching the poorly understood polyad P8 near 12000 cm-1 and providing the first set of 41 experimentally observed lines in the P8←P4 spectral region.Comb-based AOTR spectroscopy opens a new route for broadband exploration of highly excited molecular states, delivering extensive high-accuracy spectroscopic data needed to refine molecular models and improve predictions of high-temperature spectra.