Simultaneous oscillation on UV and IR transitions of the copper ion laser

Simultaneous oscillation of UV (248–270 nm) and IR lines (773–785 nm) in the copper ion laser with helical hollow cathode has been observed using high reflectivity combination mirrors. The output power characteristics of these laser lines are measured as functions of the discharge current and fill-gas pressure. A total laser power of about 100 mW with equal UV and IR contributions was obtained.     

He-Zn laser with a transverse high-frequency excitation

Laser oscillation on ZnII ion transitions in a HF transverse helium-zinc discharge is reported. The optimal conditions for laser action are found. Unsaturated gain coefficients of 40% and 45% per meter on the most intensive lines 492.4 nm and 758.8 nm respectively are measured.     

Laser capabilities of CuBr mixture excited by RF discharge

Our investigations demonstrated that utilizing copper bromide (CuBr) mixture as a source of Cu atoms in a RF-excited discharge can be a promising alternative to the Cu sputtered system, when the development of Cu ion gas laser is considered. Both spectroscopic and laser investigations showed that the threshold input power for lasing was reduced about 5 times using the CuBr-based system instead of the Cu-sputtered system. Pulsed and CW laser oscillation on Cu⁺ transitions in the near IR spectral region was obtained in RF-excited He-CuBr discharge operated at 13.56 MHz and 27.12 MHz. At input RF power of 800 W, a laser output power of 10 mW at the 780.8 nm Cu ion laser line was achieved. An increase of laser output power by a factor of two, as well as better Cu vapour axial distribution and better discharge stability, was attained when DC discharge was superimposed on the RF discharge. Laser gain on 11 UV Cu ion lines was observed in RF-excited Ne-CuBr discharge. basing on the obtained results, we consider the CuBr laser system excited by RF discharge capable of generating UV laser radiation at relatively low input power. Received 4 January 1999     

Untersuchungen zur Laserfähigkeit eines Kr-Hg-Gemisches

A gas discharge containing a krypton-mercury mixture is investigated with respect to laser oscillation in the ultraviolet spectral range (280–390 nm). Several spectral lines of the mercury singlet- and triplet system are intensified by selective population of the upper levels as a result of collisions with metastable krypton-atoms. As well in a continuous as in a pulsed discharge the best conditions are found for maximal pump rate and maximal gain. Some transitions show gain factors approaching Γ=1; their possible use for laser oscillation is discussed. In a discharge of 800 mm active length and with external concave mirrors laser action could not be observed.     

Interhalogen UV laser on the 285 nm band of ClF

A new UV-laser operating on the 285 nm band of ClF is reported. Fluorescence and laser oscillation on numerous vibrational and rotational lines has been observed following e-beam excitation of a Ne/F₂/Cl₂ mixture. The upper laser level is probably formed in an ion recombination reaction of fluorine and chlorine ions.     

Single mode operation of a narrow bandwidth dye laser using a single prism, grazing incidence grating long cavity

The single mode pulsed dye laser is an attractive tool for many spectroscopic applications. Long cavity tunable dye lasers generally operate in multi-longitudinal modes within the bandwidth of gain profile. Single longitudinal mode oscillation can be obtained by either making the cavity short enough or introducing an additional loss mechanism, in which all modes but one have a gain less than their loss. A new technique to achieve single mode operation in a long cavity dye laser, based on Rhodamine 6G dye in ethanol and ethylene glycol solution, pumped by a high repetition rate copper vapor laser, is reported. This laser, which operates in three modes in grazing incidence grating configuration (cavity length of 16 cm), has been made to lase in single mode by increasing the loss in the resonator through beam walk-off.     

Modelling the effect of slave laser gain and frequency comb spacing on the selective amplification of injection locked semiconductor lasers

A rate equation model was used to model the optical filtering properties of injection locked semiconductor lasers. Numerical and experimental results are presented which show the changes in the comb rejection ratio (CRR) of an injection locked single mode laser due to the gain of the slave laser. It was found that there is an optimal slave laser current at which the CRR of the slave laser is largest, and good qualitative agreement is present between the model and experiment. The model was also used to predict the effects of the target carrier’s position on the optical comb. It was found that locking the slave laser to the outer comb lines gave slightly worse CRRs than when locking to the central lines. It is also shown that for comb frequency spacings close to the relaxation oscillation frequency of the slave laser, the obtainable CRR is significantly decreased.     

共振线俘获对碰撞激发X光激光增益特性的影响

 以类氖-锗离子为例,用逃逸概率方法研究了共振线俘获效应对电子碰撞激发X光激光增益特性的影响。对波长为19.6nm,23.2nm和23.6nm等三条激光线,讨论了增益特性对增益区宽度ΔR和介质速度梯度dV/dZ的依赖关系.     

Locking of a cw dye laser to inverted atomic transitions

We have observed narrow line oscillation of an internally pumped cw dye laser at wavelengths which correspond to atomic transitions in the pump laser discharge. At other discharge wavelengths quenched regions in an otherwise broader dye laser output have also been observed. It is believed that the narrow lines correspond to transitions which have gain in the pump laser discharge, while the holes correspond to transition with loss.     

Structure of 510.6 and 578.2 nm copper laser lines

The structure of the 510.6 and 578.2 nm copper laser lines were calculated and measured as a function of cooper density and buffer gas pressure. The line shapes were consistent with the calculations only near the oscillation threshold. The buffer gas pressure data indicate that the pressure broadening coefficient is very small for our experimental conditions.     

Chemically pumped O2(a-X) laser

A theoretical and experimental study was conducted aimed at achieving laser oscillation in the (a-X) electronic transition of oxygen molecules. Although this transition is highly forbidden by rigorous selection rules, it may nevertheless concede stimulated emission, if the population inversion is high enough. The idea is based on a recently developed apparatus, namely, a porous pipe type high-pressure chemical singlet oxygen generator. A numerical model which describes the characteristics of this generator was developed to estimate the population inversion and small-signal gain achievable in a laser cavity using this source. The calculations showed that the small-signal gain ought to be sufficient to achieve laser oscillation. Preliminary experiments were conducted, but lasing was not yet observed. It is shown that the scattering losses caused by water droplet aerosols are mainly responsible for preventing our system from laser oscillation.     

Molecular iodine laser optically pumped at 521 nm and 531 nm

We report the observation and identification of over 50 new cw laser lines belonging to the B³∏?X¹∑ system of I₂ optically pumped by a single mode krypton ion laser. When pumping at 531 nm, simultaneous oscillation was achieved on up to 16 lines in the range 540 nm to 650 nm. This system offers considerable potential as a multi-wavelength laser source in interferometry.     

Relaxation oscillations in an AlGaAs laser studied via the visibility

We have accurately measured the visibility of a Fabry-Pérot type AlGaAs laser as a function of its output power. A damped oscillation in the visibility indicates the presence of relaxation oscillations in the laser. From the data we obtained the output-power dependence of both the relaxation oscillation frequency and damping rate. This allowed us to separately determine the spontaneous lifetime and the dependence of the gain on both carrier density (differential gain) and intensity (nonlinear gain).     

类氖-锗电子碰撞激发X光激光的增益特性

 电子碰撞激发X光激光的增益特性依赖于电子密度Ne、电子温度Te、增益区宽度D R和介质速度梯度dv/dz等四个表征等离子体内部状态的参数。以类氖-锗离子为例研究了反转和增益特性对Te、Ne的依赖关系，并在典型的增益区宽度（D R=100 μm）和介质速度梯度（dv/dz=1.3×10⁹s^-1）下讨论了共振线俘获对增益特性影响，给出波长为19.6nm, 23.2nm和23.6nm三条激光线的增益目标区域。还讨论了双电子复合过程对离子布居的重要影响。     

High packing density laser diode stack arrays using Al-free active region laser bars with a broad waveguide and discrete copper microchannel-cooled heatsinks

A high packing density laser diode stack array is developed utilizing Al-free active region laser bars with a broad waveguide and discrete copper microchannel-cooled heatsinks. The microchannel cooling technology leads to a 10-bar laser diode stack array having the thermal resistance of 0.199 ℃/W, and enables the device to be operated under continuous-wave （CW） condition at an output power of 1200 W. The thickness of the discrete copper heatsink is only 1.5 mm, which results in a high packing density and a small bar pitch of 1.8 mm.     

Spectral structure of 510.6 and 578.2 nm lines in?a?CuBr?vapor?laser

Considering the hyperfine structure and the isotopic splitting of copper active atomic levels, the temporal behavior of the spectral structure of amplified spontaneous emission at 510.6 nm line was calculated. The spectral line shapes of 510.6 and 578.2 nm laser lines were measured and compared with the calculated results at different experimental configurations, i.e., without cavity mirrors, with the back mirror, and with cavity mirrors. The results of the 578.2 nm line revealed that the mode competition was involved in the formation of laser oscillation.     

Erbium-ytterbium co-doped multi-wavelength double-clad fiber laser around 1612 nm

We report an erbium-ytterbium (Er/Yb) co-doped multi-wavelength laser operation around 1612 nm. The fiber laser was constructed in a figure-of-eight configuration and using a piece of polarization-maintaining (PM) Er/Yb double clad fiber as the gain medium. The oscillation laser lines around 1612 nm could be controlled by carefully adjusting the polarization controllers in the cavity, which might result in single line, dual line or triple line fiber laser operation. The line space was measured about 3.3 nm (±0.2 nm) which was believed to be strongly dependent on the length of the PM Er/Yb co-doped double-clad fiber.     

Cylindrical microcavity laser based on the evanescent-wave-coupled gain

A microcavity laser based on the gain only in the evanescent field region of whispering gallery modes has been demonstrated. A cylindrical microcavity of 125 microm diam was surrounded by rhodamine 6G dye molecules in an ethanol solution of lower refractive index such that whispering gallery modes of the microcavity underwent laser oscillation when the dye molecules in the evanescent field region outside the cavity were excited by a second harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser. For particular pumping spots, single-mode laser oscillation of a transverse magnetic mode was observed at about 600 nm with associated cavity Q of 3x10(7).     

Theory of a rotating-mode coaxial infrared grating laser

Analysis is presented for a novel interaction that makes possible a compact infrared grating laser configuration. The laser utilizes an annular axis encircling beam that is confined by an axial magnetic field and passes along a grating blazed axially on the center conductor of a coaxial resonator. A smooth cylindrical outer conductor completes the Fabry-Perot resonator to provide the necessary feedback for sustained oscillation. Linear analysis leads to an eigenvalue equation for cavity resonance frequencies, start-oscillation currents, and a gain-bandwidth relationship. The latter permits estimation of an upper bound on the ideal-beam power extraction efficiency. The nonlinear studies make use of analytical and numerical methods to gain a detailed understanding of electron motion in the presence of both axially focusing and radio frequency fields, and to determine the nonlinear efficiency. There is significant degradation of the interaction efficiency when the beam has finite annular thickness. Efficiency enhancement by means of a down-tapered axial field is demonstrated. A point design for lasing at ~160 μm in the far-infrared, utilizing a 100-kV beam with a pitch angle of 55° is presented. The start-oscillation current is a sensitive function of the resonator quality factor (or finesse); for a well-designed resonator, it is on the order of tens of Amperes     

SODIUM-LIKE RECOMBINATION X-RAY LASER

Experimental studies of soft X-ray laser for the sodium-likerecombination scheme conducted at the LF12 Laser Facility of SIOM(Shanghai Instituteof Optics and Fine Mechanics)are reported.Soft X-ray amplification was observed insodium-like copper ions by line-focused laser irradiation of slab targets.Based on thespatially-resolved measurements,the spatial distribution of the laser gain for the transition6g—4f(72.22(?))of sodium-like copper ions was obtained,and the maximums of gaincoefflcients and gain-length products at 550μm from target surface were 2.0 cm~(-1) and 3. 6,respectively.The evolution of spectrally discriminated spatial uniformity of line-shapedplasmas as lasing gain media produced by uniform laser illumination in line-focus isalso investigated.It is found that under this experimental condition the line-shapedplasma is very uniform after laser heating.