A three-level analytic model for alkali metal vapor lasers: part I. Narrowband optical pumping

A three-level analytic model for optically pumped alkali metal vapor lasers is developed by considering the steady-state rate equations for the longitudinally averaged number densities of the ground ²S_1/2 and first excited ²P_3/2, and ²P_1/2 states. The threshold pump intensity includes both the requirements to fully bleach the pump transition and exceed optical losses, typically about 200  W/cm². Slope efficiency depends critically on the fraction of incident photons absorbed and the overlap of pump and resonator modes, approaching the quantum efficiency of 0.95–0.98, depending on the alkali atom. For marginal cavity transmission losses, peak performance is achieved for low output coupling mirror reflectivity. For efficient operation, the collisional relaxation between the two upper levels should be fast to prevent bottlenecking. By assuming a statistical distribution between the upper two levels, the limiting analytic solution for the quasi two-level system is achieved. For properly designed gain conditions, the quasi two-level solution is usually achievable and represents ideal performance.     

Limitations of an optically pumped rubidium laser imposed by atom recycle rate

A rubidium laser pumped on the 5²S_1/2–5²P_3/2 D₂ transition by a pulsed dye laser at pump intensities exceeding 3.5 MW/cm² (>1000 times threshold) has been demonstrated. Output energies as high as 12 μJ/pulse are limited by the rate for collision relaxation of the pumped ²P_3/2 state to the upper laser ²P_1/2 state. More than 250 photons are available for every rubidium atom in the pumped volume during each pulse. For modest alkali atom and ethane spin–orbit relaxer concentrations, the gain medium can only process about 50 photons/atom during the 2–8 ns pump pulse. At 110°C and 550 Torr of ethane, the system is bottlenecked in the ²P_3/2 state and all of the incident photons cannot be absorbed. The output energy is linearly dependent on pump pulse duration for a given pump energy. The highly saturated pump limit of the recently developed three-level model for diode pumped alkali lasers (DPALs) is developed. The system efficiency based on absorbed photons approaches 36% even for these extreme pump conditions.     

A pulsed, optically-pumped rubidium laser at high pump intensity

A rubidium laser operating at 795 nm is optically pumped by a pulsed titanium sapphire laser to investigate the dynamics of Diode Pumped Alkali Lasers (DPALs). Linear scaling of output intensity for longitudinal excitation at intensities of 1.3-43 kW/cm² and as much as 32 times threshold is observed. The slope efficiency depends directly on the number of absorbed photons for alkali concentrations of 0.8-2.0 × 10¹³ atoms/cm³ with no evidence for second order kinetics. The effective absorption cross section is reduced in part by the broad spectral width of the pump source relative to the pressure broadened lineshape. Spin orbit relaxation between the pumped and upper laser levels is sufficiently fast at 550 Torr of methane to prevent bottlenecking at all but the highest intensities. Comparison of laser characteristics with a quasi-two level analytic model suggests performance near the ideal steady-state limit, with the exception of modest mode matching.     

Threshold characteristics of linear cavity Yb-doped double-clad fiber laser

The threshold characteristics of linear cavity Yb³⁺-doped double-clad fiber laser have been studied theoretically and experimentally. By solving rate equations, the expression for threshold pump power is obtained. The effects of fiber length, mirror reflectivity, pump wavelength, laser wavelength and Yb³⁺ concentration on threshold pump power are discussed. Then, the Yb³⁺-doped double-clad fiber laser with linear cavity is developed. By using various output couplers, threshold pump power has been measured. The experimental results are in accord with theory.     

Efficient laser operation of diode-pumped Pr3+,Mg2+:SrAl12O19

We report on diode-pumped laser operation of Pr³⁺,Mg²⁺:SrAl₁₂O₁₉ at lasing wavelengths of λ _L = 724.4 nm, λ _L = 643.5 nm, and λ _L = 622.8 nm. Furthermore, the laser threshold could be reached in the green spectral range. By pumping the crystal longitudinally from each side with two polarization beam combined InGaN laser diodes, a total pump power of ≈4 W was available. In the deep red spectral range, a maximum output power of 564 mW was achieved with a maximum slope efficiency of 50 % with respect to the absorbed pump power. The maximum possible internal losses were estimated to ≈1 %. Beam quality factors M ² were in the range of 1.2–1.5.     

912 nm laser operation in diode-pumped grown-together composite Nd:GdVO4/GdVO4 crystal

Novel grown-together Nd:GdVO₄/GdVO₄ composite crystals were presented for the first time, which would be longitudinally pumped by 808 nm diode-laser to efficiently operate on continuous-wave (CW) 912 nm laser at room temperature. The maximum output power of 8.15 W at 912 nm laser was obtained successfully at the absorbed pump power of 28.0 W, giving the corresponding optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 29.1% and the average slope-efficiency of 44.2%. Comparative experimental results show that the laser performance was influenced significantly by the Nd³⁺-doped concentration of the crystals, which would be optimized according to its energy-transfer upconversion (ETU) spectrum.     

Level-crossing under nearly monochromatic excitation by a narrow-band cw dye laser

The shape of level-crossing signals under excitation by a narrow-band tunable dye laser has been investigated. The light of the laser was scattered on a highly collimated atomic beam of Na. The laser radiation (bandwidth about 3 MHz) was fairly monochromatic compared with the natural line-width of the 3 ²P_{$\text{3}\text{2}$} state (10 MHz). The form of the zero-field level-crossing signal of this state depends strongly on the frequency of the exciting radiation. The experimental results agree well with calculated signal shapes.     

光谱特性对半导体泵浦碱蒸气激光器性能的影响

以速率方程模型为基础研究了光谱特性对半导体泵浦碱蒸气激光器性能的影响。结果表明:碱蒸气激光器的运行存在最优温度,温度和长度对碱蒸气激光器性能的影响是等价的,可以定义一个与温度和长度无关的效率描述其它参量一定时激光器的最优效率;泵浦谱宽对阈值泵浦强度的影响是线性的,由于碱金属原子在谱线远翼具有较大吸收截面,即使泵浦谱宽几倍或十几倍于原子吸收谱宽时也可能获得较高的效率;原子吸收谱宽对阈值泵浦强度的影响是非线性的,随着原子吸收谱宽的增加激光器光-光效率出现饱和下降;泵浦谱宽和原子吸收谱宽越宽,半导体激光器由于温度或电流导致的中心波长漂移的影响越小,实际中采用外腔压窄的半导体激光器阵列(谱宽小于200 GHz)可以控制其温度或电流漂移,使得碱蒸气激光器的性能基本不受影响。     

Random fiber laser of POSS solution-filled hollow optical fiber by end pumping

Random fiber laser is obtained by end pumping a hollow optical fiber (HOF) filled with a dispersive solution of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) nanoparticles and laser dye pyrromethene 597 (PM597) in carbon disulfide (CS₂), in which the concentration is 1.5×10^?2 M for PM597 and 18.5 wt% for POSS, respectively. It is found that the pump light at the one end of the liquid core optical fiber (LCOF) can pass the whole length of LCOF because the POSS nanoparticles were dispersed in CS₂ at a molecular level (1–3 nm) with high stability and without sedimentation. Above the threshold pump energy (～0.81 mJ) the random fiber laser appears coherent and resonant feedback multimode lasing in the weakly scattering system. For the LCOF containing PM597 with the same concentration and no POSS nanoparticles, there occurs only ASE that can be observed under the same experimental condition.     

LD抽运Nd:LuVO4微片激光器性能研究

报道了一类新型的LD端面抽运Nd：LuVO₄微片激光器，讨论了在不同掺杂浓度，不同厚度和不同透过率下的激光性质，测定了在不同抽运功率下，微片最佳激光输出功率与LD抽运温度的关系.在2W抽运功率下获得923mW的1064nm激光输出，阈值为48mW，斜效率为52%.对微片制冷后斜效率提高到59%. 关键词： LD抽运 微片激光器 4')" href="#">Nd：LuVO₄     

Spectroscopy and cw operation of a 1.85 μm Tm:KY3F10 laser

Room-temperature cw laser operation on the ³ F ₄?³ H ₆ transition at 1.85 μm of Tm³⁺ ions in a KY₃F₁₀ single crystal is reported here for the first time. Using a cw Ti:sapphire laser as a pump source, a threshold absorbed pump power of 120 mW and a laser slope efficiency of 42.5% were achieved by using a 45% transmissive output coupler. Optimization of the activator concentration and crystal length is discussed taking into account self-quenching and pump-absorption efficiencies as well as parasitic and intrinsic reabsorption losses. The emission cross-section at the laser wavelength is determined using different methods, showing that the result of the J–O approach is, in this case, very uncertain. Received: 2 January 2001 / Revised version: 7 February 2001 / Published online: 27 April 2001     

Polarization labeling spectroscopy of the A(0+u) state of Bi2 with narrowband pulsed dye-lasers

The technique of lower level polarization labeling has been used to study the excited A(0⁺_u)-state of Bi₂. With two pulsed dye lasers, a pump laser of 0.01 cm^-1 and a scanning probe laser of 0.2 cm^-1 bandwidth, A-state vibrational levels are investigated from υ' = 0 up to υ' = 57. Molecular constants are determined by the analysis of the observed probe transition energies.     

Threshold characteristics analysis of one-end-pumped Yb3+-doped gain-guided and index-antiguided fiber laser

An exact analytical expression of the threshold pump power for the one-end-pumped Yb³⁺-doped gain-guided and index-antiguided (GG–IAG) fiber laser has been obtained by solving the improved rate equations (REs) with the additional leakage losses. The effects of Yb³⁺ concentration, fiber length, core radius and mirror reflectivity on the threshold pump power are discussed. After optimizing, the results show that the laser threshold of GG–IAG fiber laser can be greatly reduced while maintaining single mode oscillation. Compared to the numerical methods, the analytical expression has easy calculation and distinct results.     

Theory and experiment for atomic optical filter based on optical anisotropy in rubidium

An atomic optical filter based on optical anisotropy induced by another left-circularly polarized pump field is theoretically and experimentally investigated in the 5S_1/2–5P_3/2–5D_3/2 ladder-type system of rubidium vapor. The filter displays a single peak transmission of 14.4% with 396 MHz bandwidth narrower than Doppler width. Furthermore, the variation of peak transmission versus pump intensity, pump detuning and cell temperature are also given. The theoretical and experimental results are in good agreement, which can enhance understanding of operation mechanism for this category of filter. The narrow-bandwidth filter is useful for free-space optical systems and laser spectroscopy.     

连续泵浦准分子宽带泵浦碱金属激光器泵浦阈值理论研究

基于四能级受激准分子宽带泵浦碱金属激光器（XPAL）的工作机理建立了连续波半导体激光器泵浦的四能级XPAL理论模型,该模型基于速率方程,考虑泵浦光线宽与伴峰吸收线宽,采用迭代算法求解,主要用于分析半导体激光器连续泵浦四能级XPAL系统的泵浦阈值特性。讨论了温度、蒸气室长度、泵浦光线宽、输出耦合率和惰性气体粒子数密度对泵浦阈值的影响,结果表明激光器存在一个最佳温度可以使泵浦阈值达到最小,且在最佳温度附近较大范围内泵浦阈值不会有较大变化。除此之外,对蒸气室长度、输出耦合率、泵浦光线宽和惰性气体粒子数密度的分析表明,相较于惰性气体粒子数密度,其他参数的变化对泵浦阈值的影响较小。而较高的惰性气体粒子数密度可以有效提升增益介质对泵浦光的吸收从而降低阈值。     

Observation of negative alkali ions from alkali halides during 248-nm laser irradiation

Below laser fluences where a plasma is formed (the so-called plasma or plume formation threshold) a number of fundamental phenomena can occur where particles such as atomic and molecular ions, atoms and molecular neutrals, and electrons can be emitted. An understanding of such processes is necessary to develop predictive models for material removal from laser irradiated surfaces—at the foundation of laser etching, machining, and pulsed laser deposition. We have reported on a number of the mechanisms for such emission processes. Here, due to space limitations, we present a summary of our studies on the formation of negative alkali ions from single crystal KCl during exposure to pulsed 248-nm radiation at fluences well below the threshold for plasma formation. Despite the high electron affinities of the corresponding halogen atoms, negative halogen ions were not detected. Significantly, the positive and negative alkali ion distributions overlap strongly in time and space, consistent with K formation by the sequential attachment of two electrons to K⁺. Negative alkali ions are also observed under comparable conditions from LiF, NaCl, and KBr. In each material, the strong overlap between the positive and negative alkali ion distributions, and the lack of detected negative halogen ions, suggest that negative ion formation involves a similar mechanism.     

Modelling of Threshold and Extraction Efficiency in Pr3+ ZBLAN Upconversion Fibre Lasers Using Two-Photon Pumping

We model the steady-state threshold and extracted power of a two-photon incoherently pumped upconversion fibre laser. Our threshold analysis is entirely analytic, and along with this derivation we obtain an analytic threshold cutback formula. This takes a particularly simple form when the ground state pump absorption follows exponential absorption. We also numerically simulate the extracted laser power. The experiment which we simulate is upconversion in Pr³⁺ doped ZBLAN fibre lasing at 491 nm and pumped with 1017 nm and 835 nm diode lasers. Our formulas and simulations are mutually consistent and agree with the experiment to within 10%.     

Laser-induced Alignment and Coulomb Explosion of CO2

实验研究了CO₂分子在飞秒强激光脉冲作用下的动力学过程,包括分子取向,隧穿电离和库仑爆炸,激光强度从1×10¹³W/cm²变化到6×10¹⁴W/cm². 当激光强度小于分子的电离阈值时,CO₂分子的非绝热转动激发形成一个相干转动波包,波包演化导致分子沿激光电场方向取向. 激光脉冲结束后,分子取向可以周期性地再现,利用另一束激光可以对取向结构进一步进行修饰. 当激光强度大于分子     

Evaluation of quenching effects on silica-based erbium doped fiber micro-ring lasers

While micro-ring lasers is a step forward for the miniaturization of fiber lasers, up-conversion quenching due to ion energy transfer may limit the device size and deteriorate system performance. The effect of Er³⁺ concentration quenching on the characteristics of silica-based Er-doped fiber (EDF) micro-ring laser was investigated. In particular, the dependence on Er³⁺ concentration and laser size of threshold pump power and quantum efficiency is discussed. To achieve high laser efficiency, it was found that ring diameter has to be ∼150 μm with ∼5 wt.% erbium concentration. The threshold value is increased by a factor of 340, for such laser characteristics compared with threshold power when up-conversion is not considered. Moreover, we show that detrimental effect due to up-conversion quenching can be reduced by careful micro-ring laser design.     

共掺Na+的Yb3+∶CaF2晶体的荧光分析与低阈值激光运转

基于975nm激发的室温下荧光光谱测量，系统地研究了在新型钠、镱共掺的氟化钙晶体中钠离子的作用机理，分析了掺钠离子浓度与激光阈值的关系，获得了具有最低激光阈值的掺杂浓度优化配比. 激光实验表明对于2%Yb³⁺离子浓度的氟化钙，掺入3%的钠离子能够获得最低阈值的激光运转，这与理论和荧光分析完全一致. 关键词： 镱、钠共掺氟化钙 荧光光谱 激光阈值