High resolution multiphoton spectroscopy by a tunable free-electron-laser light.

Seeded free electron lasers theoretically have the intensity, tunability, and resolution required for multiphoton spectroscopy of atomic and molecular species. Using the seeded free electron laser FERMI and a novel detection scheme, we have revealed the two-photon excitation spectra of dipole-forbidden doubly excited states in helium. The spectral profiles of the lowest (-1,0)^{+1} ^{1}S^{e} and (0,1)^{0} ^{1}D^{e} resonances display energy shifts in the meV range that depend on the pulse intensity. The results are explained by an effective two-level model based on calculated Rabi frequencies and decay rates.