title: Spontaneous Raman scattering by ground-state oxygen atoms.
abstract: We report the first known observation of Raman scattering by oxygen atoms. The (3)P(2)?(3)P(1) and (3)P(2)?(3)P(0) transitions in the electronic ground state that produced Raman shifts of 158 and 227 cm(-1) were detected. These transitions were observed in a fuel-lean atmospheric H(2) + O(2) flame. By comparing the O electronic and O(2) pure-rotational Raman-scattering intensities, we measured the polarized cross sections for the two lines to be 6 +/- 1 x 10(-31) and 4 +/- 1 x 10(-31) cm(2)/sr, respectively, with an excitation source at 532.1 nm. These cross sections are two to three times stronger than those predicted by a single-configuration single-excitation Coulomb approximation.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Dasch
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Bechtel