Dynamics of the line-tunable 12-. mu. m continuous-wave NH/sub 3/ laser as measured with a tunable-diode laser

Journal Article · Wed May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1985 · J. Opt. Soc. Am. B: Opt. Phys.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1364/JOSAB.2.000800· OSTI ID:5783930

Sinclair, R L; Reid, J; Morrison, H D; Garside, B K; Rolland, C

A cw CO/sub 2/ laser operating on the R(30) 9-..mu..m transition is downshifted by 180 MHz in a pair of acousto-optic modulators to give an exact coincidence with the sR(5,0) transition in NH/sub 3/. The downshifted radiation optically pumps mixtures of NH/sub 3/ in N/sub 2/ and creates vibrational inversion in the ..nu../sub 2/ mode of NH/sub 3/. This inversion is monitored with a tunable-diode laser operating in the 11-12-..mu..m region. Gain coefficients as large as 3.4%/cm are measured in the P branch of the ..nu../sub 2/ band, and the measured gain coefficients are found to be in good agreement with a rate-equation model based on rotational thermalization. Detailed measurements of gain coefficients are presented as a function of NH/sub 3/ transition, pump power, and gas mixture and pressure. These results will aid in the optimization of cw NH/sub 3/ lasers operating in the 11-13-..mu..m region.

• Research Organization: Departments of Engineering Physics and Physics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M1, Canada
• OSTI ID: 5783930
• Journal Information: J. Opt. Soc. Am. B: Opt. Phys.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Opt. Soc. Am. B: Opt. Phys.; (United States) Vol. 2:5; ISSN JOBPD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420300* -- Engineering-- Lasers-- (-1989)
AMMONIA
AMPLIFICATION
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EMISSION
ENERGY LEVELS
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EXCITED STATES
FAR INFRARED RADIATION
GAIN
GAS DYNAMIC LASERS
GAS LASERS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFRARED RADIATION
LASERS
MODULATION
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
OPTICAL PUMPING
OPTIMIZATION
POPULATION INVERSION
PRESSURE DEPENDENCE
PUMPING
RADIATIONS
ROTATIONAL STATES
STIMULATED EMISSION
SYNCHRONIZATION
TUNING
VIBRATIONAL STATES