Pulse generation by distributed feedback dye lasers

Equations describing the pulse generation by distributed feedback dye lasers are derived and solved by analytical methods. The dependence of the laser output on macroscopic parameters is discussed.On leave from the Department of Physics, Friedrich-Schiller-University, DDR-6900, Jena, German Democratic Republic     

Laser induced lasing in CS2 vapor

When CS₂, contained in a tube at pressures ranging from 350 to 450 mTorr, was optically excited by a pulsed laser at a wavelength of 343.6 nm to the J=29, v=(0, 10, 0), R ³ B ₂ state (i.e., the =0 component of the a ³ A ₂ state), six coherent emissions were observed along the same axis from both ends of the tube. These emissions possess the characteristics of the pump laser, such as linewidth, pulse duration and polarization, but do not need a cavity to gain amplification. The emissions terminate on the high vibrational states of the ground electronic state. A time delay between the pump laser and the emissions was observed. The emission intensity depends non-linearly on the CS₂ pressure and exhibits a third order power dependence. A cooperative stimulated emission model is proposed to explain this phenomenon.     

A laser accelerator

We show that a laser can efficiently accelerate charged particles if a magnetic field is introduced to improve the coupling between the particle and the wave. Solving the relativistic equations of motion for an electron in a uniform magnetic field and superposed, circularly polarized electromagnetic wave, we find that in energy-position phase space an electron traces out a curtate cycloid: it alternately gains and loses energy. If, however, the parameters are chosen so that the electron's oscillations in the two fields are resonant, it will continually accelerate or decelerate depending on its initial position within a wavelength of light. A laboratory accelerator operating under these resonant conditions appears attractive: in a magnetic field of 10⁵ Gauss, and the fields of a 5×10¹² W, 10 μm wavelength laser, an optimally positioned electron would accelerate to 700 MeV in only 10m. Supported by NASA Grant NSG-7490     

A one joule,XeCl pumped dye laser

A 4 J XeCl (308 nm) laser has been used to produce 1 J of dye laser output from selected dyes whose lasing wavelengths sample the spectral range from 330 to 600 nm.     

A double-wavelength nitrogen-laser-pumped dye laser

A narrow-band tunable double-wavelength dye laser with a bandwidth of 0.1 cm⁻¹ is described. The output at one of the wavelengths is found to be completely linearly polarized in the plane of incidence.     

Pressure dependence of laser oscillation and superfluorescent emission from an optically pumped CF4 laser

Experiments on pressure dependence of a CF₄ laser have been carried out to elucidate dynamic characteristics of CF₄ molecules pumped by CO₂ lasers. The results are followed by a model calculation which characterizes collisional quenching of the energy levels related to the stimulated emission. The enhancement of the laser output induced by buffer-gas addition, which was found under specific conditions, is discussed in relation to the competition between laser and superfluorescent emissions.     

Pulse properties of a synchronously mode-locked,cavity dumped,picosecond dye laser system

A synchronously mode-locked, cavity-dumped picosecond dye laser is described. The structure and intensity of the picosecond pulses measured under different conditions are reported. It was found that the structure of the pulses from the synchronously pumped dye laser depends critically on the length of the Ar⁺ laser pulses. At the shortest Ar⁺ laser pulses of about 70 ps the dye pulses are as short as 1.1 ps. With Ar⁺ laser pulses of 200 ps the dye laser pulses contains a broad satellite pulse which contains a large fraction of the total intensity. When a cavity dumper is added to the system one gets dye laser pulses 15–20 ps long with a substructure, which indicates incomplete mode-locking. Well mode-locked 1.5–2.0 ps pulses were obtained in the red part of the dye laser action spectrum, i.e. 620–650 nm for R6G, 595–608 nm for R 110 and 657–662 nm for RB, respectively. Addition of mode-locking dyes also improved the pulse quality at some wavelengths.     

Measurement of the diameter of a laser beam

A new and simple technique for measuring the effective diameter of a laser beam used in material processing is described. The time for the temperature of a spot heated by the laser beam to rise to 90% of equilibrium is compared with that predicted theoretically for a Gaussian TEM₀₀ laser beam. A Gaussian beam diameter equivalent is thus deduced. This calculated diameter is of particular relevance to applications where the laser is used as a heat source.     

A new efficient far-infrared optically pumped laser gas: CH3 18OH

The¹²CH₃ ¹⁸OH molecule has been investigated for new far-infrared laser lines by optically pumping it with a cw waveguide CO₂ laser. The larger tunability (318 MHz) with respect to a conventional CO₂ laser permits the pumping of many¹²CH₃ ¹⁸OH lines. As a consequence 100 new laser lines have been discovered, ranging from 34.6 m to 653.2 m in wavelength. The infrared spectrum of¹²CH₃ ¹⁸OH has been observed and all the fundamental vibration energies measured.     

Improved gain on the Cl2(D′3 П g −A′3 П u ) transition at 258 nm by halogen donor mixing

The temporal development of the small-signal gain on the Cl₂(D–A) transition at 258 nm has been investigated by means of an amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) technique. For electron beam pumped He/Cl₂ mixtures, the gain appears only at the end of the pumping pulse, whereas for He/Cl₂/CCl₄ mixtures the temporal gain profile coincides with the fluorescence pulse, and the maximum gain coefficient increases by about a factor of two. The observed effects are due to the mixing of both halogen donors and can be explained by considering the quenching of theD-state by electrons.