polarization spectroscopy


polarization spectroscopy

[‚pō·lə·rə′zā·shən spek′träs·kə·pē] (spectroscopy) A type of saturation spectroscopy in which a circularly polarized saturating laser beam depletes molecules with a certain orientation preferentially, leaving the remaining ones polarized; the latter are detected through their induction of elliptical polarization in a probe beam, allowing the beam to pass through crossed linear polarizers.