A Generalization of One-Atom Detection

Resonance ionization spectroscopy (RIS) and its associated one-atom detection can now be used to selectively detect nearly all of the elements. In this paper a notation borrowed from nuclear physics is introduced to classify five basic laser schemes which are entered into the periodic table of the elements. Applications of one-atom detection have grown to include many examples in classical physics and chemistry, photophysics, and modern physics. The modern physics category includes the detection of a few atoms generated by solar neutrino interactions in large samples and other ultralow-level counting applications for environmental research and cosmochronology.