Iterative method for determination of the laser beam profile and τV-T

Measuring the vibrational-to-translational relaxation time τV-T in gases is one of the first applications of the photoacoustic effect. The spatial profile of the laser beam is crucial in these measurements because the multiphoton excitation is investigated. The multiphoton absorption is a non-linear process. Because of this, the top hat profile is preferable. It allows one to deal with nonlinearity in a simple manner. In order to reveal the real laser beam profile, we have slightly changed the theoretical profiles in such a manner that the best matching is obtained between theoretical and experimental photoacoustic signals. Still, there was a question: Is it possible to deduce the laser beam profile directly from the photoacoustic signal, thus avoiding manual changing of the laser beam profile? According to this paper, it is possible. The appropriate method has been found in another photoacoustics application: photoacoustic tomography. Thus, the method for the simultaneous determination of the spatial profile of the laser beam and vibrational-to-translational relaxation time is presented in this paper. It employs pulsed photoacoustics and an algorithm developed for photoacoustic tomography.