Short-wavelength lasers pumped by selective Auger decay

Thesis/Dissertation · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:7146995

Walker, D J

This dissertation discusses some of the theoretical and experimental aspects of the design of lasers in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV). XUV laser systems are limited by the short lifetime of the upper laser level and by the large energy needed to pump them. Additionally, the upper level often decays extremely rapidly by autoionization. The author constructed a 20-J Nd:YAG/Glass laser system to allow pumping long lengths of lasing medium with the x-rays emitted from a laser-produced plasma. This allows rapidly pumping levels lying far above the ground state of the atom. These highly excited levels may then undergo rapid Auger decay to the second ion of the species of interest. Systems were experimentally investigated in which the Auger decay occurs selectively to a small subset of the possible final levels. These final levels are inverted wit respect to lower dying unpopulated levels. The resulting optical gain was then measured. A system in Xe III that lases at 108.9 nm was examined and the gain optimized as a function of Xe pressure, pump pulse length, and energy. Gains on three transitions in Zn III at 127.0, 130.6, and 131.9 nm were also measured and these gains optimized as a function of Zn pressure.

• Research Organization: Stanford Univ., CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7146995
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420300* -- Engineering-- Lasers-- (-1989)
AMPLIFICATION
AUGER EFFECT
CHARGED PARTICLES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
GAIN
IONS
LASERS
NEODYMIUM LASERS
PUMPING
RADIATIONS
SOLID STATE LASERS
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
XENON IONS
ZINC IONS