Resonance transition 795-nm rubidium laser using He buffer gas

We report a demonstration of a 795-nm rubidium optical resonance transition laser using a buffer gas consisting of pure ³He. This follows our recent demonstration of a hydrocarbon-free 795-nm rubidium resonance laser which used naturally-occurring He as the buffer gas. Using He gas that is isotopically enriched with ³He yields enhanced mixing of the Rb fine-structure levels. This enables efficient lasing at reduced He buffer gas pressure, improved thermal management in high average power Rb lasers and enhanced power scaling potential of such systems.