Submillimeter emission lines from CD2Cl2 optically pumped lasers

Fifty-five new submillimeter laser lines from optically pumped CD₂Cl₂, have been obtained in a FIR metallic waveguide resonator. Twenty-seven lines, ranging from 184 m to 1387 m, and twenty-eight lines, from 219 m to 888 m, have been observed when using CW CO₂ laser and CW N₂O laser optical pumping, respectively. The accuracy of wavelength measurements are of the order of 3.10^–3.     

High repetition rate CH4 laser

A 16-m CF₄ laser oscillator has operated at 1 kHz in a cooled static cell. Pump energies required from the low pressure, Q-switched, cw discharge CO₂ laser were as low as 60 J. The laser cavity employed a multiple-pass off-axis path resonator in a ring configuration. CF₄ laser power at 615 cm^–1 and a 1-kHz repetition rate exceeded 300 W.     

Frequencies and wavelengths from a new, efficient FIR lasing gas: CD2F2

We report for the first time wavelength, relative polarization, and frequency measurements for 47 new cw FIR laser lines in the wavelength region from 120 to 1714 m, all obtained by optically pumping CD₂F₂ with a CO₂ laser. Relative output powers were also measured. For comparison, the 189.8 m line pumped by R_I(34) is nearly five times as efficient as the 118.8 m methyl alcohol line.Contribution of the U.S. Government, not subject to copyright.     

FIR gain measurements in cw laser pumped CH3OD

Direct measurements of small signal and saturated gain in cw laser pumped CH₃OD are reported for three lasing transitions of 57 m, 82 m and 103 m. The 57 m transition has a measured gain of 0.6/m, the strongest gain in methanol reported so far. Moreover small gain saturation of this line makes it to be one of the strongest known cw FIR laser lines.     

New cascade laser transitions in CH2F2 pumped with the 9R32 line of a cw CO2 laser

New cascade laser transitions of¹²CH₂F₂ at 172.50m, 208.83m, 220.44m, 223.99m and 250.61m are reported. A waveguide FIR laser was pumped with a quasi cw¹²C¹⁶O₂ laser operating on the 9R32 line. Together with the already known lines at 184.3m, 196.1m and 235.9m, the laser lines can be assigned to rotational transitions in the ₉ vibrational band of¹²CH₂F₂ and to refill transitions of the vibrational ground state ₀.     

Compact, high power FIR NH3 laser pumped in a three mirror CO2 laser cavity

A compact CO₂–NH₃ FIR laser system where an NH₃ laser cavity was inserted in pump, three mirror CO₂ laser cavity was designed. The total length of this system was about 1.8 m. Output energy of about 1 mJ (10 KW pea power) was obtained at the 152 m and 90 m lines in NH₃. Power conversion efficiency of 1.7 percent was obtained at the 90 m line.     

Submillimeter laser action of CW optically pumped CF2Cl2 (Fluorocarbon 12)

Eleven new CW far infrared (FIR) laser lines have been observed in the 600 m–1200 m range from the CF₂Cl₂ (Fluorocarbon 12) molecule optically pumped by a CO₂ laser. A 510^–4–10^–3 accuracy is achieved in the measurement of the FIR wavelengths.The frequency offset between the CO₂ pump center and the absorption line centers are measured using the transferred Lamb dip technique. Owing to a recent spectroscopic study of the CF₂ ³⁵Cl₂ molecule three lines may be assigned with great confidence as rotational transitions in thev ₆ vibrational band 923 cm^–1 of this main isotope.     

High power FIR NH3 laser using a folded resonator

A compact FIR laser cavity having a couple of folding mirrors was designed. By inserting this FIR cavity into the pump TE CO₂ laser resonator, we observed 19 FIR NH₃ laser lines of which 4 new lines were included. The maximum output power was over 500 W at 90 m.     

The Spectrum of Ground-State Reversed Transition of CH3OH Far-Infrared Laser

Using the CH₃OH molecular energy levels data base management program, we deduced that when a CH₃OH laser pumped by CO₂-9P(16) line, there should be a FIR laser line of 918m wavelength, which corresponding to a transition in ground-state reversed three-level energy system. For the first time, the spectra of ground-state reversed three-level system transitions were calculated by solving the density matrix equations, and the spectrum characteristics of 918m line were studied. Experimentally, the CH₃OH FIR laser line of 918m wavelength was obtained by pumping with a TEA-CO₂ laser. The experimental results were in good agreement with the theoretical calculations.     

Optical pumping by CO2 and N2O lasers: New cw FIR emissions in vinyl cyanide

A systematical study of optical pumping by CO₂ and N₂O lasers using a FIR metallic waveguide has been undertaken in vinyl cyanide. 97 new FIR laser lines are reported in the wavelength range 400 m–1,5 mm.Unité associée au CNRS (UA 836).     

Frequency measurements of far infrared cw lasing lines in optically pumped CHCl2F

The wavelengths, frequencies, and relative polarizations of 15 FIR cw lasing lines obtained by optically pumping CHCl₂F with a cw CO₂ laser have been measured. The lines are in the wavelength range from 340.3 to 905.4 m and were pumped by P- and R-branch laser lines in the 9 m band of CO₂.Supported in part by a joint grant with the U. S. National Science Foundation grant # INT80-19014 and the Brazilian Consellio Nacional de Pesquisas (CNPq)Contribution of the U. S. Government, not subject to copyright.     

New FIR Laser Lines from CD3OH

Fourteen new optically pumped far-infrared (FIR) laser lines in the range 46.8 m to 172.6 m were discovered in optically pumped CD₃OH. The pump sources include both the CO₂ laser and the N₂O laser. Two theoretically predicted laser lines were observed in this study.     

Far infrared laser frequencies of CH3OD and N2H4

The frequencies of 26 laser lines with wavelengths between 57 and 534 m have been measured in the optically pumped laser gases CH₃OD and N₂H₄. A pair of stabilized cw 12_{CO 2} lasers was used as a frequency standard for the heterodyne frequency measurements. Seven of the 26 lines are new.     

A twin optically-pumped far-infrared CH3OH laser for plasma diagnostics

A twin optically-pumped far-infrared CH₃OH laser has been constructed for use in plasma diagnostics. The antisymmetric doublet due to the Raman-type resonant two-photon transition is reproducibly observed at 118.8 m. With the 118.8-m line, it is obtained from the frequency separation of the anti-symmetric doublet that CH₃OH absorption line center is 16±1 MHz higher than the pump 9.7-m P(36) CO₂ laser line center. It is shown that the Raman-type resonant two-photon transition is useful in order to get several-MHz phase modulation for the far-infrared laser interferometer. Some preliminary performances of this twin laser for the modulated interferometer are described.This work was carried out under the collaborating research program at the Institute of Plasma Physics, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464, Japan.     

Wavelengths for new CH3OH laser lines

Using a grating-tuned CO₂-TEA laser to pump CH₃OH in a metallic-wave-guide resonator, submillimeter laser emissions have been produced by pumping with 36 lines in the 9.4m CO₂ band and with 23 lines in the 10.6m band. Several dozen new SMM laser lines were observed. Wavelengths accurate to within 0.1% are given for 12 previously unmeasured lines between 34m and 225m.     

Frequency measurements on far-infrared emissions from12C16O2-pumped methyl chloride and from12C18O2-pumped difluoromethane

The frequencies of 42 far-infrared laser lines have been measured by mixing with high-order harmonics of microwave frequencies in a Josephson junction. A total of 5 emissions between 334 and 1887 m have been measured from¹²C¹⁶O₂-pumped methyl chloride (CH₃Cl) and 37 emissions between 116 and 1092 m in¹²C¹⁸O₂-pumped difluoromethane (CH₂F₂). Additional data is given on the laser emission characteristics.Division of Electrical Science, National Physical Laboratory     

High efficiency cw far infrared lasers at 119 μm and 127 μm

The optically pumped FIR laser lines at 119 m from CH₃OH and at 127 m from¹³CD₃OH are known to be the most powerful in the far infrared spectral region. We report on efficiency measurements for our waveguide laser system. The effect of various parameters was investigated, resulting in the highest efficiency ever reported for the 119 m line. The Stark effect and others parameters of the 127 m were measured, and a new¹³CD₃OH laser line at 175 m discovered, with the same pump transition. These measurements are helpful for completing the assignment already proposed for the 127 m line.     

Far infrared response of thin film Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 using a free electron laser

The far infrared response of granular thin-film Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O₈ superconductor has been investigated using long (5 s) but sharply truncated free electron laser pulses in the frequency range between 50 cm^–1 and 125 cm^–1. Under constant current bias, a fast response and a slow bolometric signal component could be identified in this energy range, which is below the BCS energy gap ( 200 cm^–1). Measurements of the power dependences of the signal voltages showed that both the fast and the thermal responses are consistent with the predictions of the resistively shunted Josephson junction model.     

Laser stark spectroscopy ofSO2 with the HCN laser

The Far Infrared (FIR) laser Stark spectrum ofSO ₂ was investigated using the 337 m line of the HCN laser. Two distinct families, one originating at low field and the other at high field, were observed. The high field transition is identified as theJ _K–1,K+1=22_5,1721_4,18, v₂=1 transition. A significant fourth-order Stark shift was observed for this transition in the presence of a large second-order Stark shift. The zero-field frequency of the assigned transition was obtained by accounting for the fourth-order contribution.Present Adress: Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627.     

New far infrared laser lines obtained by optically pumping13CD3OD

We have obtained laser action on 34 far infrared lines for the first time in fully deuterated methyl alcohol with the¹³C isotope (¹³CD₃OD), and we have measured the frequency of 13 lines. The molecule was pumped by a cw CO₂ laser. We have measured the wavelength, the relative polarization, the relative intensity of most lines, the frequency, and the CO₂ pump frequency offset of the strongest lines. The new lines are distributed in the wavelength region from 75.27 m to 464.7 m.Supported in part by a joint grant with the U.S. National Science Foundation grant # INT 80-19014 and the Brazilian Conselho Nacional de Pesquisas (CNPq).