Spectroscopy and dynamics of Al atoms solvated in superfluid helium nanodroplets

The laser-induced fluorescence excitation spectrum in the vicinity of the 3 (2)D <-- 3(2)P transition of Al atoms solvated in superfluid helium nanodro plets has been measured. While this transition has not been studied in bulk liquid helium, the observed blue shifts and line broadenings, compared wit h other transitions for which such measurements do exist, allow us to concl ude that Al atoms reside in the interior of the helium droplet. The observe d transition shows a splitting that we attribute to quadrupole-like deforma tions of the cavity formed in the helium droplet around the Al atom. Time-r esolved studies of wavelength-selected emission from solvated Al atoms exci ted to the 3(2)D state reveal a rapid (less than or equal to 50 ps) and see mingly total nonradiative population transfer to the 4(2)S state, the decay of which is found to account for all of the emission and to have a lifetim e (6.4 +/- 0.1 ns) that matches that of gas-phase Al.