Vibrational relaxation induced population inversions in laser pumped polyatomic molecules

Conditions for population inversion in laser pumped polyatomic molecules are described. For systems which exhibit metastable vibrational population distributions slow vibration—translation/rotation (V—T/R) relaxation], large, long lived inversions are possible even when the vibrational modes are strongly coupled by rapid collisional vibration—vibration (V—V) energy transfer. Overtone states of a hot mode are found to invert with respect to fundamental levels of a cold mode even at V—V steady state. Inversion persists for a V—T/R relaxation time. A gain of 4 m^?1 for the 2v₃ → v₂ transition in CH₃F (λ ≈ 15.9 μ) was found assuming a spontaneous emission lifetime of 10 s for this transition. General equations are derived which can be used to determine the magnitude of population inversion in any laser pumped, vibrationally metastable, polyatomic molecule. A discussion of factors controlling the population maxima of different vibrational states in optically pumped, V—V equilibrated metastable polyatomics is also given.