Measurements of local electric fields by Doppler-free laser spectroscopy of hydrogen resonance lines

A method for electric field measurements that observes the Stark spectra of the low excited levels n = 2 and n = 3 of atomic hydrogen has been explored in this work. As advantage these levels can be excited Doppler-free from the ground state by a single laser and the highly resolved Stark spectra are easy to understand and to be calculated. Good sensitivity of electric field measurements is achieved with specially designed solid state laser systems, which provide tuneable pulsed UV radiation with a high pulse peak-power and a narrow bandwidth needed for Doppler-free two-photon excitation. Using hydrogen and deuterium the Stark spectra of the n = 2 level are detected as optogalvanic signal. For three different cases of laser polarization the n = 3 spectra of hydrogen are measured simultaneously with optogalvanic and laser induced Balmer alpha fluorescence detection. Electric fields down to 200 V/cm can be determined from the Stark spectra of n = 2 level, while the spectra of n = 3 level enable measurements of electric fields as small as 50 V/cm in each of the three cases of laser polarization.