Absolute frequency measurement of CO2 laser lines with a femtosecond laser comb and new determination of the CO2 molecular constants and frequency grid

Absolute frequency measurements of a CO₂ laser stabilized on saturated absorption resonances of CO₂ laser lines are reported. They were performed using a femtosecond-laser frequency comb generator and two laser diodes at 852 and 782 nm as intermediate oscillators, with their frequency difference phase-locked to the CO₂ laser. Twenty ¹²C¹⁶O₂ laser lines in the P and R bands at 9 μm were measured with a relative uncertainty of a few 10⁻¹² limited by the CO₂ frequency reproducibility. A new determination of the CO₂ molecular constants was obtained from these data and previous measurements in the 10 μm band. The CO₂ frequency grid was also calculated, with an improvement of two orders of magnitude compared to the previous grid of Maki et al. [J. Mol. Spectrosc. 167 (1994) 211].     

Absolute frequency measurement of a CO2/OsO4 stabilized laser at 28.8 THz

A cw carbon dioxide laser operating on the 10 μm R(0)_I transition (28.832 THz) was frequency stabilized by a servo lock to the saturated absorption dip of the Q(15) transition of ¹⁸⁸OsO₄. The laser frequency was measured with a cesium-clock-based frequency chain. In addition, the absorption line frequencies Q(14) of ¹⁸⁸OsO₄ and sQ(4,3) of ¹⁵NH₃, were measured relative to the frequency of Q(15). Received: 21 August 2000 / Revised version: 15 January 2001 / Published online: 30 March 2001     

Hard tissue ablation with a free running Er:YAG and a Q-switched CO2 laser: a comparative study

The Er:YAG and the CO₂ laser are competitors in the field of hard tissue ablation. The use of Er:YAG lasers (2.94 μm, pulse length _L of 100 to 200 μs) show smaller areas of thermal defects then ‘‘superpulsed’’ CO₂ lasers with pulse lengths of approximately 100 μs. Only the development of a Q-switched CO₂ laser (9.6 μm, τ_L=250 ns) allowed for similar results. In this paper new results for the Er:YAG and the Q-switched CO₂ laser under the influence of water spray will be presented. Several parameters are of special interest for these investigations: the specific ablation energy, which shows a minimum for the CO₂ laser at an energy density of 9 J/cm ² and a broad shallow minimum in the range of 10 to 70 J/cm² for the Er:YAG laser, and comparison of the cut-shape and depth. Surface effects and cutting velocity are discussed based on SEM pictures. Received: 19 July 2000 / Revised version: 1 November 2000 / Published online: 30 November 2000     

Spectroscopic studies of laser-produced plasmas formed in CO and CO2 using 193, 266, 355, 532 and 1064 nm laser radiation

The wavelength dependence of laser-produced breakdown in air, CO and CO₂ has been studied using the four Nd:YAG harmonics (266 nm, 355 nm, 532 nm and 1064 nm) and the ArF-excimer laser (193 nm). Breakdown thresholds at these wavelengths are reported for air, CO and CO₂. A significant reduction in the breakdown thresholds for both CO and CO₂ is apparent when comparing 193 nm with the four Nd:YAG harmonics. This reduction is attributed to the resonance-enhanced two-photon ionization of metastable carbon atoms generated in the laser focus at the ArF-laser wavelength. In addition to reporting breakdown thresholds, the laser-produced plasmas in CO and CO₂ are characterized in terms of plasma temperatures and electron densities which are measured by time-resolved emission spectroscopy. Electron densities range from 9 × 10¹⁷ cm^–3 to 1 × 10₁₇ cm^–3. Excitation temperatures range from 22 000 K at 0.2 µs to 11 000 K at 2 µs. Ionization temperatures range from 22 000 K at 0.1 µs to 16 000 K at 2 µs. Evidence is presented to indicate that, like ArF-laser-produced plasmas, Nd:YAG-laser-produced plasmas formed in CO and CO₂ are in or near a state of Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE) soon after their formation.     

Frequency dependent kinetics of the cw CO2 laser induced reaction of CF3Br

Kinetics of the decomposition of CF₃Br at 20 torr by a cw CO₂ laser have been studied over the range of laser frequencies 1043–1085 cm^-1. At constant translational temperature the change in the rate constant with laser frequency over the frequency range is a factor of 500, comparable to the effect previously observed in CF₂ClCF₂Cl and CF₃CF₂Cl. Arrhenius plots show an activation energy of 64.9 kcal/mole, independent of frequency. The laser induced optical absorption of CF₃Br exhibits a hysteresis effect at the lower laser frequencies.     

Mode selection in an unstable-resonator TEA CO2 laser by injection from a waveguide laser

The effect of injecting radiation from a cw waveguide CO₂ laser into a TEA laser through a hole in one mirror of its unstable resonator has been studied experimentally. High-power single longitudinal mode operation of the TEA laser is achieved over a wide but finite range of injection frequencies, the frequency of the single-mode pulse being that of the TEA laser cavity mode lying closest to the injected frequency. Although a simple theoretical model shows good qualitative agreement with observations it underestimates the range of injection frequencies which result in single-mode pulses unless a fast chirping of the cavity mode frequency is postulated.     

Collisionless dissociation of SF6 using two resonant frequency CO2 laser fields

The collisionless dissociation of SF₆ has been studied using simultaneous irradiation by two frequencies from a CO₂ laser which are both nearly resonant with the SF_6v3 absorption band. It was found that the dissociation was enhanced, and occurred over a wider frequency range, than for single frequency dissociation. No threshold effect was observed for a weak resonant and a much higher energy field pumping slightly off-resonance. For such two frequency irradiation, the peak in the dissociation curve was found to be shifted to lower frequencies with respect to that for single frequency dissociation.     

The laser pulse from a rf waveguide CO2 laser

The behaviour of a rf-excited waveguide CO₂ laser in the pulse regime is studied experimentally. The specific time sections of the pulse have been defined and described in detail. The output pulse evolution versus input power, pressure of the laser mixture, output coupling, repetition frequency and pulse width has been investigated. The spectral content of the pulse has been analysed. A model explaining the effect of laser tuning during the pulse duration is given. The ultrahigh pulse (UHP), defined as the pulse for which the bulge effect occurs, is predicted. Received: 22 October 2002 / Revised version: 13 January 2003 / Published online: 26 March 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +48-71/3203-189, E-mail: eda@zr.ita.pwr.wroc.pl     

Stabilization of a CO2 pump laser using external CH3OH stark-cell modulation

In order to stabilize the 118.8 μm CH₃OH laser output, frequency stabilization of the CW 9P(36) CO₂ laser pump is carried out using external CH₃OH Stark-cell modulation without internal frequency modulation. The CO₂ laser output power around the CH₃OH absorption center is stabilized to within ±1.0% for 60 min. The frequency stability of the CO₂ laser is estimated to be within ±1.4 MHz for 60 min, assuming the output fluctuation to be caused by this frequency fluctuation. As a result of the CO₂ pump laser stabilization, an output power stability of about ± 1.0% for 30 min is obtained for the 118.8 μm CH₃OH laser.     

Low-fluence CO2 laser irradiation decreases enamel solubility

This study investigated whether subablative-pulsed CO₂ laser (10.6 μm) irradiation, using fluences lower than 1 J/cm², was capable of reducing enamel acid solubility. Fifty-one samples of bovine dental enamel were divided into three groups: control group, which was not irradiated (CG); group laser A (LA) irradiated with 0.3 J/cm²; and group laser B (LB) irradiated with 0.7 J/cm². After irradiation, the samples were subjected to demineralization in an acetate buffer solution and were then analyzed by SEM. A finite-element model was used to calculate the temperature increase. The calcium and phosphorous content in the demineralization solution were measured with an ICP-OES. ANOVA and the t-test pairwise comparison (p < 0.016) revealed that LB showed significantly lower mean Ca and P content values in the demineralization solution than other groups. A reduction in the enamel solubility can be obtained with pulsed CO₂ laser irradiation (0.7 J/cm², 135 mJ/pulse, 74 Hz, 100 μs) without any surface photomodification and a less than 2°C temperature increase at a 3-mm depth from the surface.     

cw far-infrared lasing in15NH3, stark resonantly pumped by a CO2 or N2O laser

CF₂ClCF₂Cl and ethyl acetate have absorption bands of similar width centered at the same frequency. Kinetics of the decompositions of these compounds by a cw CO₂ laser have been studied over a range of laser frequencies extending to 25 cm^?1 below band center. At constant translational temperature and pressure, the CF₂ClCF₂Cl rate constant changes by more than 200 with frequency, while the corresponding change for ethyl acetate is at most 3. The effect of laser frequency increases with increasing CF₂ClCF₂Cl pressure, while the reverse is true in ethyl acetate. Arrhenius plots show activation energies independent of both frequency and pressure.     

High frequency optogalvanic signals and CO2 laser stabilisation

The normal optogalvanic effect used in the stabilisation of CO₂ lasers decreases in amplitude with increase in frequency and disappears at 2–3 kHz. We show that there is also a high frequency optogalvanic effect in CO₂-N₂-He-Xe laser gas mixtures up to ～ 100 kHz, explain its origin and use it to frequency stabilise a laser with long term (hours) frequency drift of < 50 kHz and frequency re-settability of < 100 kHz.     

Absorption of pulsed CO2 laser radiation by air and carbon dioxide

An optoacoustical method is used in experimental study of nonlinearity in absorption of pulsed CO₂ laser radiation by air with CO₂ and H₂O added and pure CO₂. The laser pulse consists of frequencies related to several rotational transitions, generated simultaneously. Nonlinearity in absorption was detected for laser radiation levels above 0.2 MW/cm².Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 10, pp. 49–51, October, 1982.     

Calculation of accurate CO2 laser transition frequencies and their standard deviations

The paper is based on C¹²O₂ ¹⁶ rotational constants and line frequency data gained from laser frequency measurements performed recently. Equations for transition frequencies and their standard deviations have been derived. A list is presented containing accurate 10.4 and 9.4 μm line frequencies and their relative and absolute standard deviations; also wavenumbers and wavelengths are given for each line. For transitions usually observed in CO₂ lasers the relative standard deviations are on the order of a few megahertz, the absolute accuracy is about 25 MHz for the 10.4 μm band and about 18 MHz for the 9.4=μm band.     

Evaluation of downstream-mixing scheme for 9.4-µm CO2 gasdynamic laser

A theoretical analysis of a downstream-mixing 16-μm CO₂ gasdynamic laser revealed the possibility of utilizing the downstream-mixing scheme for the generation of 9.4-μm radiation using a CO₂ gasdynamic laser. The flow-field has been analyzed using complete two-dimensional, unsteady laminar form of Navier-Stokes equations coupled with the finite rate vibrational kinetic equations. The analysis showed that integrated small-signal gain of 11.5m⁻¹ for Lorentzian broadening and 4.8m⁻¹ considering Voigt function can be obtained for N₂ reservoir temperature of 2000°K and velocity ratio 1:1 between the CO₂ and N₂ mixing streams. These results (presented in graphs) clearly highlight the large potential of downstream-mixing CO₂ gasdynamic laser for 9.4-μm laser generation.     

Growth of single-wall carbon nanotubes dependent on laser power density and ambient gas pressure during room-temperature CO2 laser vaporization

Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were synthesized by the irradiation of 20-ms CO₂ laser pulses onto a graphite–Co/Ni target at room temperature. We investigated the effect of laser power density (10–150 kW/cm²) and ambient Ar gas pressure (150–760 Torr) on the abundance of SWNTs with lengths of up to about 200 nm in soot-like carbonaceous deposits. For a constant power density (30 kW/cm²), depending on the Ar gas pressure, SWNTs with diameters of 1.2–1.4 nm were synthesized. Expansion behavior and temperature-fall rates of clusters and/or particles in laser plumes were also analyzed by high-speed video imaging and temporally and spatially resolved emission spectroscopy. The temperature-fall rates were estimated to be 171–427 K/ms. The SWNT growth on the time scale of a few milliseconds appeared to be related to some features of condensing clusters and/or particles, including resident densities, collision frequencies and temperatures. Received: 16 July 2001 / Accepted: 23 July 2001 / Published online: 30 August 2001     

TEA CO2 laser ablation of coronary artery

Summary One of the prerequisites for successful laser angioplasty is the ablation of the atherosclerotic lesions, without thermal or shock-wave damage of the healthy tissue. In this study was evaluated the effectiveness of a TEA CO₂ laser, emitting pulses of the lower TEM mode, 100 ns duration, at a repetition rate of 2.4 Hz, for the ablation of cardiovascular tissue. Normal and atherosclerotic human arteries (post mortem) were irradiated for a range of fluences up to 10J pulse⁻¹ cm⁻². After irradiation, the samples were prepared for histologic examination. The results showed that controlled ablation of normal and atherosclerotic coronary artery can be accomplished with the TEA CO₂ laser, with minimal thermal damage.     

Interaction of CO2 laser radiation with glasses

An illustration of an interaction of pulsed multimode TEA CO₂ laser radiation, through or without a mask, as well as of a laser scanning process of a frequency Q-modulated cw CO₂ laser beam on glass surfaces has been shown. As an object of investigation glass articles with composition as a standard industrial potassium-boron silicate glass, we have used. A complex of investigations shows that the laser treatment leads to qualitative constant changes (well defined peeling structure) depending on the time surface treatment, defocusing and the pulse length of the laser output.     

Spectral photoconductivity of tellurium in the CO2 laser wavelength range

Infrared photoconductivity measurements on tellurium single crystals and evaporated films at 90 K yielded a maximum response at 0.126 ± 0.002 eV using a low power CO₂ laser. The frequency dependence of the response was slow and could not be interpreted as vast intervalence band transitions.     

Efficient ablation of organic polymers polyether sulphone and polyether ether ketone by a TEA CO2 laser with high perforation ability

Organic polymer (PES: PolyEther Sulphone and PEEK: PolyEther Ether Ketone) ablation with oscillation-line selected TEA CO₂ lasers is successfully demonstrated. With different irradiation conditions the ablative etch-rate slopes were varied, which means that the ablation process is dependent on the ablation conditions such as incident laser intensity and ambient gas. In perforation processing of the PEEK film, the TEA CO₂ laser had a higher etch rate of 42 m/pulse at a fluence of 70 J/cm² in vacuum than the XeCl laser.