Investigations of optically pumped submillimeter wave laser modes

A complete theory for waveguide laser modes for oversized metallic and dielectric waveguides with circular cross section has been developed for the submm wavelength region. The experimental investigations have been done by a submm heterodyne technique for the first stage using a Schottky barrier diode in an open structure mixer.     

Widely tunable all-optical wavelength converter based on four-wave mixing using two orthogonally polarized pumps

The principle of broad-band orthogonal-pump (BOP) four-wave mixing in semiconductor optical amplifiers is analyzed in theory. The conversion efficiency reduces rapidly as the detuning of wavelength between the signal and pump increase which can be solved by introducing a BOP method. The constant conversion efficiency and signal-to-noise ratio are obtained over a large wavelength detuning range. The wavelength conversion efficiency with variation smaller than 3.88 dB over 52-nm range has been experimentally demonstrated by using BOP, with the 10-GHz output of distributed feedback/electro-absorption modulator as signal. Conventional single-pump scheme is also performed for comparison and the experimental results fit well with the theory.     

The wavefront curvature of an optically pumped waveguide laser

Summary A procedure for computing the shape of the wavefronts in waveguide lasers with inhomogeneous gain has been found. Its application to an optically pumped FIR laser shows that the inhomogeneous pump beam intensity will lead to sizeable effects in the output beam geometry.The same treatment is possible for other types of waveguide lasers, too. It is probable that in most cases the first order approximation is satisfactory. If waveguide losses have to be included, this can easily be accounted for by replacing G in equation (4) by (G-).     

Anisotropic gain in an optically pumped cw FIR laser

The observed asymmetry of tuning curves of a 70.6 μm CH₃OH laser is interpreted as a consequence of unidirectional amplification in the optically pumped gas, a quantum mechanical double resonance effect. The occurrence of this effect. was verified by FIR gain measurements.     

Controlling nonadiabatic spectral redshift of high-order harmonic using two orthogonally polarized laser fields

We investigate the nonadiabatic spectral redshift of high-order harmonic of He driven by two time-delayed orthogonally polarized laser fields. It is found that the nonadiabatic spectral redshift can be observed by properly adjusting the time delay of the two laser fields when the controlling pulse is added in the raising part of the driving pulse in the vertical direction. That is because the controlling pulse in the vertical direction prevents the ionized electrons from returning to the vicinity of parent ions and then reduces the recombination probability. This leads to the high-order harmonic generated mainly in the falling part of the driving pulse. Meanwhile,we also find that the quantity of redshift can be effectively controlled through accommodating the positive time delays. In addition, this scheme can also be used to produce nonadiabatic spectral blueshift.     

Injection seeding for single-mode operation in an optically pumped high-power D2O laser

Spectrally narrow, pulsed outputs consisting of almost a single mode have been obtained from an optically-pumped high-power (200kW) D₂O laser by adopting the injection seeding method, where single-mode radiation (seed pulse) from a low-power, compact D₂O laser has been injected into the main D₂O laser. Spectrally narrow outputs with high power having spectral widths as narrow as 5 MHz have been obtained, when the seed pulses with frequency tuned to one longitudinal mode of the main D₂O laser have been injected at a time sufficiently before the lasing of the main laser took place. The experimental results have been compared with those of numerical simulation modified to include the injection field with varying injection times.     

Multiwatt optically pumped ammonia laser operation in the 12–13 μm

Design and operating caracteristics of high pulse repetition rate NH₃ laser producing up to 20 W of average output power are described. The NH₃ laser, operating in the 12–13 μm region was optically pumped with a high pulse repetition rate TEA CO₂ laser. Dependences of the NH₃ laser output on the pump energy, ammonia and buffer gas pressures and pulse repetition rate have been studied. The conversion efficiency of up to 16% has been received.     

Characteristics of an optically pumped COF2 laser

An optically pumped COF₂ laser^1,2 has been used for experiments with NbN Josephson junctions at NPL³. Its characteristics are described in this paper, with particular reference to results of output power stability and output power level⁴.     

Nonresonant quadrupolar second-harmonic generation in isotropic solids by use of two orthogonally polarized laser beams

We demonstrate an experimental technique for isolating and enhancing quadrupolar second-harmonic generation in isotropic materials by using two orthogonally polarized laser beams that create wavelength-scale, forward-radiating gradients in the second-harmonic polarization.     

光泵双光子激光的全量子理论

本文给出一均匀增宽的三能级原子模型,在泵浦场和激光场同时存在时,讨论了双光子激光的增益、频率位移及弱泵浦时,稳态运转的阈值条件。同时讨论了相干泵浦对激光线宽的影响。其结果和仅存在非相干泵浦和泵浦不存在时的结果作了比较。     

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.     

Frequencies of some optically pumped submillimetre laser lines

Precise frequencies of far infrared (FIR-) laser lines of HCOOH, CH₃OH, CH₃I, CH₃F have been measured by comparison with harmonics of frequency-locked mm-wave klystrons.     

Frequency pulling in an optically pumped submillimeter laser by Doppler induced dispersion

The dependence of the frequency of a CW optically pumped submillimeter laser on the frequency of its pump laser has been directly measured and shown to result largely from the dispersion produced by the two peaked gain spectrum resulting from pumping in the wings of a Doppler broadened absorption line.     

Simultaneous operation at two different wavelengths of an PrLaP5O14 laser

Simultaneous laser operation at the wavelengths of λ₁=637 and λ₂=717 in Pr_0.5La_0.5P₅O₁₄ single crystals was observed. The crystals were excited by nanosecond publses from a Coumarin 2 dye laser (λ=450 nm). Laser emissions and their interdependence were studied both in crystals without an external resonator and in crystals placed within a plane parallel resonator. The energetic, time and frequency characteristics for both laser actions were examined. The effect of bifrequential emission was also found in crystals of different ratios of Pr and La ions concentration and in pure praseodymium pentaphosphate.