Alkali lasers, optically pumped

WELLEGEHAUSEN Lasers Optically Pumped with Alkali Molecules 463... 

WELLEGEHAUSEN Lasers Optically Pumped With Alkali Molecules 479... 

We report on saturated absorption experiments in Na2> realized with a tunable and stabilized argon laser. These experiments provide both spectroscopic and physical results, which help in understanding the behavior of optically pumped alkali dimer lasers. We briefly describe a new double resonance experiment which enables us to study the gain line-shapes of the dimer laser and to demonstrate the backward-forward gain competition. 

Chemical lasers are pumped by reactive processes, whereas in photodissociation lasers the selective excitation of certain states and the population inversion are directly related to the decomposition of an electronically excited molecule. Photolysis has been the only source of energy input employed in dissociation lasers, although it appears quite feasible to use other energy sources, e.g. electrons, to generate excited states. Table 4 lists the chemical systems where photolysis produces laser action. It is appropriate to begin the discussion of Table 4 with the alkali-metal lasers since Schawlow and Townes in 1958 35> chose the 5 f> 3 d transitions of potassium for a first numerical illustration of the feasibility of optical amplification. These historical predictions were confirmed in 1971 by the experimental demonstration of laser action in atomic potassium, rubidium and cesium (Fig. 14). 

The combination of collinear fast-beam laser spectroscopy and P-RADOP (radiation-detected optical pumping) has been used to measure nuclear spins and moments of neutron-rich isotopes of the light alkali elements jLi [72-74] and Na [75]. Here, the optically pumped fast atomic beam is implanted into a single crystal placed in a static magnetic field. The NMR signal is destroying the nuclear polarization detected by measuring the p-decay asymmetry. 

By optical excitation with argon and krypton laser lines, continuous laser oscillation on A -> X and B -> X transitions of Li Na2 and K molecules can be achieved dimer lasers show such interesting features as multiline emission, extremely low threshold pump intensities and forward-backward amplification asymmetry. Basic principles, operating conditions and applications of these lasers will be discussed. The dimer lasers operate between bound electronic states, resulting in the emission of discrete lines. To achieve tunable laser oscillation, continuous emission bands from bound-free transitions have to be considered. Some possibilities for alkali dimers are outlined and recent spectroscopic investigations on UV excited diffuse bands are reported. 

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