New far-infrared laser lines from CH3Cl and CH3Br optically pumped with a continuously tunable high pressure CO2 laser

In this paper we report on the detection of new far-infrared laser lines from CH₃Cl and CH₃Br optically pumped with a continuously tunable high pressure CO₂ laser. We found 80 new lines for CH₃Cl and 9 new lines for CH₃Br in the frequency region between 16 cm^–1 and 41 cm^–1, all due to stimulated Raman scattering. For the Raman gain regions bandwidths up to about 700 MHz were found. We also observed high intensity short far-infrared laser pulses of durations in the nanosecond regime.Permanent address: Physics Department, State Pedagogical University, SU-119435 Moscow, USSR     

Efficient generation of FIR radiation by optical pumping of D2 18O

In this paper we show that D₂ ¹⁸O vapour, optically pumped with a continuously tunable high pressure CO₂ laser, is an excellent source for far infrared radiation. Both high photon conversion coefficients and broad Raman gain regions were found for a large number of new laser transitions spread over the frequency range from 25 cm^–1 to 240 cm^–1. We demonstrate that these Raman gain regions can be used to generate far infrared laser pulses with high intensity and durations of about 100 ps.     

Partly tunable mid-infrared NH3 laser

Using a continously tunable pulsed 20-atmosphere CO₂ laser as a pump source, we generated pulses of mid-infrared radiation, partly tunable in frequency intervals in the range between 200 and 900 cm^–1 via stimulated Raman scattering in gaseous ammonia. As a Raman cell we used a multiple pass cell. We observed for¹⁴NH₃ and¹⁵NH₃ laser lines at 52 different frequencies with 39 lines observed for the first time. Tuning ranges up to 150 GHz and peak powers of several MW were achieved. The quantum efficiency reached 40 %.     

Far-infrared laser emission from deuterated ammonia

By optically pumping the deuterated isotopomers of ¹⁴NH₃ and ¹⁵NH₃ using ¹²C¹⁶O₂, ¹³C¹⁶O₂, ¹²C¹⁸O₂, and ¹³C¹⁸O₂ lasers, several new far-infrared (FIR) emission lines between 65 μm and 125 μm have been detected. The existing spectroscopy of ¹⁴N-ammonia isotopomers has been used to identify many of these lines, as well as some previously observed but unidentified. The spectroscopic data have been analyzed to predict over 20 additional FIR laser lines that could be pumped by a more capable CO₂ laser. This effort was motivated by a need for strong laser lines in frequency coincidence with molecular transitions of astrophysical interest. Of particularnote is the measurement of the 2680-GHz line of ¹⁴NHD₂, whose frequency is 4.9 GHz higher than that of the important J=1-0 line of interstellar HD. Received: 25 July 2002 / Published online: 20 December 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +1-303/492-5941, E-mail: boreiko@spot.colorado.edu     

R branch tuning characteristics of the13CH3F Raman FIR laser

Summary We described a¹³CH₃F Raman laser pumped by a grating tuned 20 atmospheres CO₂ laser. The emission characteristics of the¹³CH₃F laser extends from 14 cm^–1–35 cm^–1 and from 49 cm^–1–72 cm^–1; about 65% of these frequency ranges can be covered with tunable radiation. The characteristics shows a strong dependence on the rotaional quantum numbers of the states involved in the Raman laser transitions and, within each tuning interval, on the frequency offset with respect to the frequencies of resonant transitions. We obtained, at 51 cm^–1, a maximum FIR laser pulse energy of about 800 J (at a pump energy of 200 mJ), corresponding to a photon conversion of about 8%. In some cases we have observed simultaneous emission at a Raman and a cascade frequency. In addition, FIR emission power dependence on¹³CH₃F gas pressure and pump pulse power were investigated for different J quantum numbers.     

Experimental investigation of the MIR optically pumped ammonia bidirectional ring laser

We have studied the Doppler-broadened 11.76 m ¹⁵NH₃ emission line optically pumped in a ring resonator by a cw CO₂ laser operating on the 10R(42) line. In the pure ammonia, even if the pumping occurs inside the Doppler width, the two-photon Raman process seems to be responsible for the laser emission. Both in the pure ¹⁵NH₃ and in the ¹⁵NH₃, N₂, and He mixture we demonstrate the possibility of obtaining a unidirectional laser amplifier.This work has been supported by Direction des Recherches Etudes et Techniques under contract No. 87/222     

Theoretical Study of Optically Pumped NH3 Far-Infrared Laser in Vibrational Ground State

In this paper, the density matrix equation of three-level system for far-infrared (FIR) Raman transition in vibrational ground state was solved. By means of iteration method and numerical calculation, the spectral characteristics of NH₃ molecules FIR laser with TEA CO₂-10R(14) laser pumping was studied theoretically. The theoretical result would help us to understand the physical mechanism of optically pumped molecular gases FIR laser with ground-state reversal transition.     

Far infrared spectrum of methylamine

The far-infrared (FIR) spectrum of CH₃NH₂ has been studied in the 25–125 cm^–1 region at a resolution of 0.005 cm^–1 with a BOMEM Fourier transform spectrometer. All of the^rR branches with K rotational quantum number from 5 to 13 have been identified for A-a and E-a torsion-inversion symmetries in the ground torsional state, as well as some branches of A-s and E-s symmetries and some in excited torsional states. The observed branches have been fitted to series expansions in order to determine the branch origins.     

Diode laser measurements of line strengths and collisional half-widths in thev2band of14NH3 and15NH3

A tunable diode laser spectrometer was used to perform measurements of half-widths and intensities of several rotational lines in v₂-band of ammonia. The intensity measurements of 16 lines of¹⁵NH₃ allowed us to estimate v₂-band strength of this molecule at 298 K to be S_v ⁰=(550±10) cm^–2-atm^–1.     

Micro-Raman spectroscopy in polycrystalline CuInSe2 formation

The crystalline formation of CuInSe₂ thin films has been investigated using micro-Raman spectroscopy and AES composition analysis. It is confirmed that the Raman peaks are stongly dependent on the surface morphology and the Cu:In:Se ratio. In the films annealed at 315°C, crystalline grains larger than 2 m show Raman peaks at 174 cm^–1 and 258 cm^–1. The In content is very low and the Cu:Se ratio is about 1:1 in these grains. The low In concentration is thought to be due to the formation of In₂O₃ on the surface. On the other hand, random structures of 1–2 m grains found in films annealed at temperatures below 305°C show peaks at 174 cm^–1 and 186 cm^–1 instead of 258 cm^–1 and have a Cu:In:Se ratio of 1:1:3–4. Thus the 186 cm^–1 peak is thought to be related to a Cu, In-deficient phase when compared to stoichiometric CuInSe₂. The optimum annealing condition was found by analyzing the Raman spectra and composition of different crystalline CuInSe₂ grains. Films annealed under this condition exhibited a clear Raman peak at 174 cm^–1 and consisted of clusters of crystals less than 1 m in size.     

Modeling of high-pressure 12-μm NH3 lasers

Experimental measurements of small-signal gain in an optically-pumped NH₃ amplifier are carried out at pressures ranging from 40 Torr to 760 Torr, and the results are used to validate a rate-equation model describing the amplifier dynamics. The gain measurements show that dilute mixtures of <0.5% NH₃ in N₂ are reqired to minimize the problems of gas heating due to pump absorption. The model is used to extrapolate the results to gas pressures of several atmospheres, and to demonstrate the potential for highpressure operation of optically-pumped NH₃ lasers. For a pump intensity of 100 MW/cm², calculations indicate that operation of an NH₃–N₂ laser is feasible up to a pressure of 10 atm, which would provide a maximum continuous tuning range of 4 cm^–1. High-resolution spectroscopy reveals that gain on a few NH₃ transitions is eliminated at high pressures due to the presence of overlapping absorptions in other NH₃ bands.     

External cavity tunable diode laser spectra of the ν1 + 2ν4 stretch-bend combination bands of NH3 and NH3

The ammonia ν₁ + 2ν₄ perpendicular stretch-bend combination band has been investigated in spectra of ¹⁴NH₃ and ¹⁵NH₃ recorded in the 6400-6800 cm⁻¹ region with an external cavity tunable diode laser (ECTDL) spectrometer. For ¹⁴NH₃, new assignments were determined initially by extrapolating from published low-J jet-cooled beam results up to transitions of higher J and K. Corresponding ν₁ + 2ν₄ transitions for the ¹⁵NH₃ species were then found by identifying similar patterns of lines with a characteristic downshift of approximately 9.7 cm⁻¹. Assignments were confirmed employing ground-state combination differences. Term values, a-s inversion splittings, l-doubling energies and parameter estimates from simple single-state fits are reported for the two ammonia species.     

Torsion-rotation far-infrared spectrum of O-18 methanol

High-resolution Fourier transform spectra have been recorded from 15–470 cm^–1 for the far-infrared trosion-rotation band of O-18 methanol in the vibrational ground state. So far, 57 subbands have been assigned in the 15–220 cm^–1 region for a wide range of rotational and torsional states, and their J-independent origins have been determined to an estimated accuracy of ±0.01 cm^–1. The observed origins were found to deviate in many cases by several tenths of a cm^–1 from the values calculated with the previous molecular parameters. Together with 4 known microwave origins, the new data have been fitted to a model torsion-rotation Hamiltonian in order to refine the set ofb-type molecular constants for the ground state. With the new parameter set, the experimental subband origins are reproduced with an rms error of ±0.02 cm^–1, representing a substantial improvement over the earlier situation. The spectroscopic results have also been of great assistance with our assignments of optically-pumped FIR laser emission in CH₃ ¹⁸OH, in providing FIR data for checking the identification of the IR-pump/FIR-laser transition systems through combination loop relations.     

Absorption of subpicosecond ultraviolet laser pulses in high-density plasma

The absorption of 250 fs KrF laser pulses incident on solid targets of aluminum, copper and gold has been measured for normal incidence as a function of laser intensity in the range of 10¹²–10¹⁴ W cm^–2 and as a function of polarization and angle of incidence for the intensity range of 10¹⁴–2.5×10¹⁵ W cm^–2. As the intensity increases from 10¹² W cm^–2 the reflectivity at normal incidence changes from the low-intensity mirror reflectivity value to values in the range of 0.5–0.61 at 10¹⁴ W cm^–2. For this intensity maximum absorption of 63–80% has been observed for p-polarized radiation at angles of incidence in the range of 54°–57°, increasing with atomic number. The results are compared with the expected Fresnel reflectivity from a sharp vacuum-plasma interface with the refractive index given by the Drude model and also to numerical calculations of reflectivity for various scale length density profiles. Qualitative agreement is found with the Fresnel/Drude model and quantitative agreement is noticed with the numerical calculations of absorption on a steep density profile with normalized collision frequencies, v/, in the range of 0.13–0.15 at critical density and normalized density gradient scale lengths, L/₀, in the range of 0.018–0.053 for a laser intensity of 10¹⁴ W cm^–2.At 2.5×10¹⁵ W cm^–2 a small amount of preplasma is present and maximum absorption of 64–76% has been observed for p-polarized radiation at angles of incidence in the range of 45°–50°.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Rudolf Wienecke on the occasion of his 65^th birthdayOn leave from: Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2G7, Canada     

Laser frequency measurements and spectroscopic assignments of optically pumped 13CH3OH

A three-laser heterodyne system was used to measure the frequencies of twelve optically pumped laser emissions from ¹³CH₃OH in the far-infrared (FIR) region. These emissions, ranging from 54 to 142 μm, are reported with fractional uncertainties up to ±2×10^-7 along with their polarization relative to the CO₂ pump. Using the 9P32 and 10R14 CO₂ lines, complete spectroscopic assignments for two laser systems were confirmed. Received: 31 May 2001 / Published online: 19 September 2001     

Infrared and Raman spectra of M2Cu2O5 (M=Y,Ho)

We report both Raman and infrared reflectivity spectra of M₂Cu₂O₅ (M=Y, Ho) at room temperature in the spectral range of 30–1000 cm^–1.37 (31) ir and 18 (15) Raman active modes of Y₂Cu₂O₅ (Ho₂Cu₂O₅) are observed. A factor group analysis has been performed to identify the symmetries of the observed modes. Comparing the vibrational spectra of these compounds we conclude that the phonons above 300 cm^–1 originate from the Cu–O vibrations and those under 300 cm^–1 from M–O vibrations.Alexander von Humboldt Foundation fellow     

Photoconductivity of erbium-doped germanium

We have applied the technique of Photo Thermal Ionization Spectroscopy (PTIS) to the study of an erbium-doped p-Ge epitaxial layer, grown by MBE on an undoped n-type germanium substrate. The Er-doped Ge layer shows continuum photoconductivity response in the far-infrared region extending from 70 cm^–1 to 900 cm^–1. This type of epitaxial Er-doped Ge layers is a potentially attractive system for photoconductivity detectors of far-infrared radiation. Below 900 cm^–1 three acceptor-like charged states can be distinguished with ionization energies of 9, 26.6 and 50 meV. Additionally, a study of the photoconductive response of the same sample for radiation from 1000 cm^–1 to 10000 cm^–1, i.e., for radiation energies well inside the forbidden gap to energies above it, shows a wealth of levels, some of which have previously been associated with erbium.On leave from: Instituto de Física, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México     

Collisionless excitation of NH3 molecules via one- and two-photon transitions by multimode radiation of TEA CO2-laser

The excitation of ammonia by one- and two-photon transitions by TEA CO₂-laser radiation has been studied under collisionless conditions. It has been shown that the experimental results of two-photon excitation of ¹⁴NH₃ molecules in the 2v ₂ a(1, 1) a(1, 1) transition by the 10P(24) CO₂-laser line, the frequency offset of which is 0.02cm^–1, can be described well by modelling the laser radiation as a broadband chaotic field. The experimental results of one-photon excitation in ¹⁴NH₃ and ¹⁵NH₃ [4], with the offset values exceeding the CO₂-laser linewidth, can be also described well with the use of a chaotic field with a continuous spectrum. In the case of a nearly exact one-photon resonance, however, the excitation efficiency of molecules depends critically on the real mode structure of the CO₂-laser radiation.     

A New Model of Calculating Miniature Optically Pumped Far-Infrared Laser

Considering the broadening of infrared pumping laser, the spectrum of miniature optically pumped superradiant NH₃ far-infrared laser pumped by CO₂-10R(8) has been calculated by solving density matrix equations and using iteration method. It is first time that the theoretical spectrum has been in good agreement with experimental results.