Optics and Precision Engineering, Volume. 33, Issue 7, 1031(2025)

Isotope ratio measurement of Rb using wavelength modulation-direct absorption spectroscopy

Jizheng XU1,2, Yuan MENG1,2, Xingji LU1, Jun HUANG1, Tao YANG1,2, Qiang ZHAO1,2, Huanhuan SHOU1,2, Yinbo HUANG1,3, and Zhensong CAO1、*
Author Affiliations
  • 1State Key Laboratory of Laser Interaction with Matter, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei23003, China
  • 2University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei3006, China
  • 3Nanhu Laser Laboratory, National University and Defense Technology, Changsha41007, China
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    Rubidium isotope analysis provides critical insights into the origin and history of samples, with significant applications in geology, biomedicine, and forensic science. Wavelength modulation-direct absorption spectroscopy (WM-DAS) offers advantages of high signal-to-noise ratio and calibration-free operation, enabling rapid, high-sensitivity measurements of gaseous metal atom isotopic abundances. In this study, RbCl was used as the sample, and electrothermal reduction was employed to generate gaseous Rb atoms. The WM-DAS technique was integrated with threshold denoising to enhance signal quality. Absorption profiles of Rb atomic D2 transitions were recorded using DAS, WM-DAS, and denoised WM-DAS methods, followed by Gaussian fitting. Signal-to-noise ratios were improved by factors of 1.40 and 1.84, respectively, with an additional enhancement of 1.48 times upon accounting for the hyperfine structure of the D2 line. The temperature of gaseous Rb atoms was determined to be 439 K, corresponding to a saturated vapor pressure of 1.826 Pa. The isotope ratio of 85Rb to 87Rb was measured as 2.613±0.007, achieving a precision of 0.779%, superior to that obtained by DAS alone. The detection limit for ^85Rb was established at 0.23%, satisfying the requirements for rubidium ore analysis. The combination of WM-DAS with electrothermal reduction demonstrates high precision and robust interference resistance, rendering this method highly suitable for field measurements and promising for isotope abundance analysis.

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    Jizheng XU, Yuan MENG, Xingji LU, Jun HUANG, Tao YANG, Qiang ZHAO, Huanhuan SHOU, Yinbo HUANG, Zhensong CAO. Isotope ratio measurement of Rb using wavelength modulation-direct absorption spectroscopy[J]. Optics and Precision Engineering, 2025, 33(7): 1031

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    Paper Information

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    Received: Dec. 11, 2024

    Accepted: --

    Published Online: Jun. 23, 2025

    The Author Email:

    DOI:10.37188/OPE.20253307.1031

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