Polarization of radiation of distributed-feedback dye lasers with one- and two-component gain media

Polarization of the radiation generated by a distributed-feedback laser on one-component solutions and binary mixtures of coumarin dyes is investigated. It is established that, with a marked excess of the generation threshold, the degree of polarization P of the radiation generated by one-component solutions is practically independent of the wavelength. For binary mixtures, the spectral behavior of P depends on the donorlacceptor concentration ratio. Here, with the anisotropy of the distribution of excited molecules being partially disrupted in the process of energy transfer (from the donor to the acceptor), the degree of polarization decreases appreciably when radiation frequency is tuned from the short-wavelength region to the long-wavelength one. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 67, No. 3, pp. 340–343, May–June, 2000.     

The strontium-vapor laser pumping efficiency under running-wave excitation

The effect of the design features of the gas-discharge tube on the processes proceeding in the discharge circuit of a metal-vapor laser has been investigated. The position of electrodes in the gas-discharge tube has been found to significantly affect the processes at work in the discharge circuit and the energy characteristics of the laser. For instance, gas-discharge tubes with electrodes placed in the hot region of the discharge channel are typified by high metastable-population rates at the leading edge of the excitation pulse, whereas with electrodes positioned in cold buffer regions, the leading edge of the voltage pulse across the resistive component of the tube impedance is seen to peak. Conditions for running-wave generation in the active media of lasers on self-terminated transitions of metal atoms and the running-wave use efficiency for laser pumping are discussed, considering a strontium-vapor laser as an illustration. It is shown that the running wave is generated as the result of the breakdown in the anode end of the gas-discharge tube and is maintained by the energy stored in the capacitive component of the impedance of the gas-discharge tube. The lasing pulse duration under running-wave excitation corresponds to the time it takes an ionization wave to propagate from the anode to the cathode of the gas-discharge tube, with pumping efficiency being ~6–8% for a strontium-vapor laser. The average lasing power varies within 10–15% depending on whether the totally reflecting cavity mirror is placed near the anode or the cathode of the tube. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 12, pp. 79–87, December, 2008.     

Optimization of pulse lamps for dye lasers

We carry out investigations of the generation efficiency of a dye laser in which, as a source of pumping, tubular lamps are used that are enclosed in shells to withstand the pressure of the xenon filling them. It is found that the optimum pressure is 60–80 torr, which ensures the greatest luminous efficiency of the lamps in the short-wave region of the spectrum at standard electrical parameters of the power supply system. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 65, No. 1, pp. 134–137, January–February, 1998.     

Magneto-optical modulation of a triple-mirror laser beam

Based on calculations and experiments, a He–Ne laser has been developed with effective intracavity magnetooptical modulation at λ = 1.15 μm. A polarization-anisotropic element — a magnetic diffraction grating made of yttrium iron garnet — is mounted in a matched passive arm of the triple-mirror cavity of the laser and serves as the modulator element. Modulation is produced using the Faraday effect, which simultaneously leads to efficient diffraction of the laser radiation on the asymmetric strip domain structure of a magnetic diffraction grating and to rotation of the E vector. The Jones matrix method is used to calculate the frequency and polarization characteristics. These, along with the modulation characteristics, were also studied experimentally. It is shown that amplitude modulation at frequencies up to 180 kHz takes place for small single-pass Faraday rotation angles (θ_F). The threshold frequency is determined by the response time of the magnetizing Helmholtz coil. The depth of modulation is 50%. For θ_F > θ_t (where θ_t is the threshold), frequency modulation takes place with a deviation of up to several megahertz. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 76, No. 2, pp. 188–193, March–April, 2009.     

Quenching of fluorescence for fluoro derivatives of the laser dye DCM in polar solutions

We used fluorescence spectroscopy and nanosecond flash photolysis to study the photophysical properties of the laser dye 4-dicyanomethylene-2-methyl-6-(p-dimethylamino)styryl-4H-pyran (DCM) and its two fluoro derivatives: (E)-2-〈2-[2-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)ethenyl]-6-trifluoromethyl-4H-4-pyranylidene〉malononitrile (DCMF3) and (E)-2-〈2-[2-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)ethenyl]-6-n-heptafluoro-propyl-4H-4-pyranylidene〉 malononitrile (DCMF7), in nonpolar n-hexane, mixtures of low-polarity toluene and polar dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), n-propanol at room temperature and at 77 K. The fluorescence quantum yield Φ_fl of the laser dye DCM increases linearly as the polarity of the binary solvent mixture (toluene+DMSO) increases, from 0.08 in toluene to 0.80 in DMSO. The dependence of Φ_fl on the polarity of the mixture toluene+DMSO for DCMF3 and DCMF7 reaches a maximum for a small amount (∼2 vol.%) of added polar DMSO; and with further increase in the DMSO concentration (≥50 vol.%), the fluorescence of the fluoro derivatives of DCM is practically completely quenched. The quantum yield for intersystem crossing Φ_ST for DCM, DCMF3, and DCMF7 is no greater than 0.01 in solutions of different polarities. We discuss the mechanisms for nonradiative deactivation of the electronic excitation energy for the fluoro derivatives compared with DCM. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 73, No. 5, pp. 606–612, September–October, 2006.     

Contributions of the Antiphase Boundary Generation Mechanisms to the Strain Resistance of Single-Crystalline <Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis>1<Subscript>2</Subscript> — Superlattice Alloys

Using a strain and thermal hardening model for L1₂ — superlattice alloys, contributions of the antiphase boundary generation mechanisms to the strain resistance of the materials under review is estimated to be ∼10%. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchenykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 7, pp. 8–14, July, 2005.     

Effect of a photonic band gap in the optical range on solid-state SiO2 cluster lattices — opals

It is shown that synthetic opals — cubic face-centered lattices of SiO₂ clusters — are systems which exhibit a number of properties of photonic crystals in the visible-light range. By filling the voids (pores) in such lattices with different materials it is possible to vary the optical contrast of the medium and to obtain crystals of both the lattice of spheres type and its three-dimensional replica. It is shown that under conditions of identical optical contrast and in the presence of an additional optical inhomogeneity of the spheres, the transparency of the lattice of spheres is lower than that of its replica based on homogeneous media. A refractive index modulation of 1.266 was achieved in the lattice of spheres. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 63, No. 7, 496–501 (10 April 1996)     

Laser system based on a picosecond dye laser with combined feedback for spectroscopy

A laser system comprising a synchronously pumped picosecond dye laser with combined cavity-distributed feedback and a two-stage dye amplifier is described. The dependence of the laser pulse duration on the detuning of the cavity length, the pumping level of the active medium, and the pulse number in the pulse train was investigated. It is shown that the combination of the two types of feedback provides more than ten-fold shortening of the dye laser ultrashort pulse duration. B. I. Stepanov Institute of Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 70, F. Skorina Ave., Minsk, 220072, Belarus. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 65, No. 1, pp. 47–55, January–February, 1998.     

Lasing efficiency of dyes incorporated into a nanoporous glass-polymer composite

We have used microsecond coherent pumping to study the lasing efficiency of active elements based on a nanoporous glass-polymer composite activated by organic dyes, as a function of the spectral composition of the pump within the main absorption band of the dye. We have shown that under the indicated excitation conditions, the lasing efficiency can exceed 40% and can be comparable with the lasing of liquid elements. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 75, No. 5, pp. 708–716, September–October, 2008.     

Electron excitation energy transfer in Me7Eu2UO2(PO4)5 (Me — Na, Rb, Cs) crystals

The article considers the luminescence-kinetics properties of crystals of ternary uranyl orthephosphates Me₇Eu₂UO₂(PO₄)₅ (Me — Na, Rb, Cs) obtained by the methods of solid-phase synthesis. The main parameters of conversion of the electron excitation energy in the donor-acceptor UO ₂ ²⁺ —Ln³⁺ system are determined. The competition between the processes of nonradiative dissipation and energy transfer from UO ₂ ²⁺ to Eu³⁺ has been revealed. It is shown that the rate of the processes of nonradiative transitions in the uranyl complex is determined by the degree of distortion of its local field, while the luminescence lifetime of the acceptors depends on the energy of electrostatic interaction between Eu³⁺ and oxygen atoms of its first coordination sphere. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 67, No. 3, pp. 333–335, May–June, 2000.     

Spectroscopic investigation of thermooxidative destruction of ethers on the surface of modified silica

Thermooxidative processes are investigated by the method of temperature-programmed decomposition with the use of a prism infrared spectrometer. Thermal degradation of —OC₄H₉, —OP(H)(O)OC₄H₉ and —OP(H)(O)OC₂H₅ groups on the surface of modified pyrogenic silicas in air is considered. The resemblance between processes of oxidation of surface PH-groups irrespective of the means of silica modification is shown. Institute of Surface Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 31, Nauka Ave., Kiev, 252022, Ukraine. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 65, No. 3, pp. 326–332, May–June, 1998.     

Structure and NLO property relationship in a novel chalcone co-crystal

Single crystals of a chalcone co-crystal (C₁₈H₁₉NO₄/C₁₇H₁₆NO₃Br; 0.972/0.028) have been grown by slow evaporation from solution. The powder second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of this chalcone co-crystal is 7 times that of urea. The dependence of second harmonic (SH) intensity on particle size revealed the existence of phase matching direction in this crystal. The large SHG efficiency observed is mainly due to the unidirectional alignment of molecular dipoles, in which the dipole moment of each molecule adds to establish a net polarization. The weak N–H⋅⋅⋅O hydrogen-bond interactions help to stabilize the noncentrosymmetric crystal packing and also contribute partly to the SHG. The better thermal stability, transparency and high laser damage resistance (>1.5 GW cm⁻² at 532 nm, 8 ns) of this chalcone co-crystal indicate that it is a promising material for frequency doubling of diode lasers down to 470 nm. This molecule also shows a third-order NLO response and good optical limiting property of 8 ns laser pulses at 532 nm. The mechanism for optical limiting in this chalcone was attributed to two-photon induced excited state absorption that leads to reverse saturable absorption. The structure–property relationship in this chalcone and related compounds is discussed based on the experimental results and semiempherical hyperpolarizability calculations.     

Electromagnetic excitation of ultrasound in magnetically ordered dielectrics

The electromagnetic excitation of sound in magnetically ordered dielectrics—ferro-and antiferromagnets—is investigated theoretically. It is shown that sound generation in dielectrics by the Lorentz mechanism (displacement current) is much less efficient than in metals. The magnetoelastic mechanism of sound excitation in dielectrics is just as efficient as in metals. In antiferromagnets the amplitude of the excited sound depends on the relaxation parameter in the magnetic subsystem. The sound excitation efficiency increases as the orientational phase transition point or the ferromagnetic resonance frequency is approached. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 111, 1810–1816 (May 1997)     

3-(2-Benzimidazolyl)coumarin derivatives —highly effective laser media

New laser dyes based on derivatives of 3-(2-benzimidazolyl)coumarin are proposed that lase under lamp and coherent (nanosecond and microsecond) pumping in the spectral range 420–700 nm and feature a high generation efficiency reaching 40% under coherent pumping (1% when lamp-pumped) and an increased operational life that surpasses that for most popular laser dyes. The nature of the substituents in the 6- and 7-positions of the coumarin ring and the ionic structure of the dyes are found to influence their spectral and lasing characteristics.     

Generation of coherent tunable deep UV radiation for detection and absorption studies of explosives RDX and TNT

We report a technique for the efficient generation of tunable coherent deep UV radiation and its application in studies of RDX and TNT at the ppm level on the basis of their absorption characteristics. The obtained experimental absorption data are compared with conventional spectrophotometric data. The UV radiation in the range 200–260 nm has been generated by the type-I noncollinear third harmonic of the dye laser radiation (600–700 nm) and also by sum frequency mixing (SFM) of Nd:YAG output (1064 nm) with the second harmonic of the dye laser in β-barium borate (BBO) crystal. The maximum conversion efficiency of the generated signal is estimated to be 57.5% at λ = 218.9 nm wavelength. Apart from measurements of the absorbance of RDX and TNT at different concentrations in their respective solutions, the minimum detection concentrations have also been ascertained. The estimated minimum detectable concentration of RDX is 8.47·10⁻⁹ M, whereas that for TNT is 35.7·10⁻⁹ M. The data were obtained using only ∼100 μJ/pulse of laser energy. Published in Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 74, No. 6, pp. 516–521, July–August, 2007.     

Glow-discharge-pumped broadband ultraviolet lamp

The optical characteristics of a UV broadband lamp that was excited by a longitudinal glow discharge and operated on Kr—Br₂—I₂, Xe—Br₂—I₂, and Kr—Xe—Br₂—I₂ mixtures are investigated. The interelectrode spacing in the lamp is 10 cm, the inner diameter of a discharge tube being 14 mm. The current-voltage characteristics, the emission spectra of the plasma, and the dependence of the intensity of spectral lines (the amplitude of radiation bands) on the power that was pumped into the plasma based on mixtures of various compositions and pressures, as well as the radiation power in the spectral range from 200 to 390 nm, are studied. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 72, No. 6, pp. 840–842, November–December, 2005.     

Laser-induced photodynamic effects of chlorinse 6 andp 6 on an isolated neuron

Photodynamic effects of chlorins e₆ and p₆ on an isolated mechanoreceptor neuron of a fluvial crayfish are investigated. A He−Ne laser (632.8 nm, 0.3 W/cm²) was used as an excitation source. The impulsive activity of neurons was found to be extremely sensitive to the photodynamic effect of low concentrations of chlorins e₆ and p₆ (0.005–6.000 and 0.05–0.50 μM, respectively). Cell reactions consisted of several phases of acceleration and inhibition of pulsations followed by an irreversible cancellation of nervous pulse generation. The type of reaction depended on the photosensitizer form and concentration. It is supposed that the phases of acceleration of impulsive activity are connected with the photodynamic damage of the cell membrane, and the inhibition phases are connected with the photodynamic effect on intracell organells. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 66, No. 2, pp. 250–255, March–April, 1999.     

Tunable optical parametric oscillator based on a KTP crystal,pumped by a pulsed Ti<Superscript>3+</Superscript>:Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> laser

We present the characteristics of an optical parametric oscillator based on a KTP crystal, pumped with noncritical phase matching by a pulsed Ti³⁺:Al₂O₃ laser, tunable in the range 677–970 nm. Tunable generation of signal and idler waves is obtained in the ranges 1030–1390 nm and 2690–3050 nm respectively. The efficiency of conversion of the pump to the signal wave is ≈23%, which for pulses of duration ≈8 nsec ensures an energy in the range 1.0–11.5 mJ. The width of the emission spectrum for the signal wave is within the range 0.8–1.8 nm and is predominantly determined by the linewidth of the Ti³⁺:Al₂O₃ pump laser. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 74, No. 3, pp. 351–356, May–June, 2007.     

Optical properties of new indotricarbocyanine dye as a limiter of laser radiation power

We present results of experimental and theoretical studies of the optical characteristics of a new indotricarbocyanine dye that is capable of effectively limiting the power of laser radiation in the visible spectral range. The spectral-luminescent and energy characteristics of the dye molecules and their absorption spectra from the excited state with nanosecond resolution are investigated experimentally. Quantum-chemical methods are used to calculate electronic absorption spectra from the ground (S₀ → S_n) and excited (S₁ → S_n) states and to determine the nature of electronic states of the molecule and the rate constants of intramolecular photophysical processes. The results of the theoretical research agree with experimental data. It is shown that the investigated dye has singlet-singlet absorption at 400–600 nm. Nonlinear absorption of the dye upon excitation by radiation of the second harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser is studied by z-scanning with an open diaphragm. The ratio of dye absorption cross sections from the excited and ground states at 532 nm is determined in the framework of a three-level model. The results are compared with those for previously studied compounds. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 74, No. 4, pp. 473–480, July–August, 2007.