We have demonstrated an average output power of 10 W quasi-continuous-wave mid-infrared laser at 2.94 μm from a diode laser (LD) side-pumped Er-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) crystal. The Er:YAG crystal was composed of Er-doped (50% doped) (YAG) bonded to undoped YAG. The LD was operated at a repetition rate of 150Hz and a pulse-width of 300 μs. The optical-optical conversion efficiency and the slope efficiency were 5.6% and 9.1%, respectively. The slope efficiency was not saturation yet, a higher output power can be expected with a higher LD pump power and colder temperature of the Er:YAG crystal.
Excimer pumped sodium laser (XPNaL) can accurately achieve lasing at 589.16 nm without any complicated control system to reduce the wavelength error, so XPNaL will provide a novel technical system for sodium beacon laser. In this paper, we studied the Na-C2H6 system, which was an efficient excimer pair. We excited the Na-C2H6 system using a pulsed dye laser with wavelength of 553 nm, and measured lifetime of sodium D2 line based on the fluorescence spectra. Meanwhile, we have also detected strong amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) signal in Na-C2H6 system, through the experimental study, the Na-C2H6 system is considered to own the potential to be utilized in high power XPNaL.
Sodium based excimer-pump alkali laser (Na-XPAL) is expected to be an efficient method to generate sodium beacon light, but the information about the spectroscopic characters of Na-XPAL remains sparse so far. In this work, we utilized the relative fluorescence intensity to study the absorption spectrum of blue satellites of complexes of sodium with different collision partners. The yellow fluorescence of Na D1 and D2 line was clearly visible. After processing the fluorescence intensity and the input pumping laser relative intensity, we obtained the Na-CH4 system’s blue satellites was from 553nm to 556nm. Meanwhile, we experimentally demonstrated the Na-Ar and Na-Xe system’s wavelength range of blue satellites. Also, it was observed that the Na-Xe system’s absorption was stronger than the other two systems.
Achieving population inversion through multi-photon cascade pumping is almost always difficult, and most laser medium work under 1-photon excitation mechanism. But for alkali atoms such as cesium, relatively large absorption cross sections of several low, cascading energy levels enable them properties such as up conversion. Here we carried out research on two-photon excitation alkali fluorescence. Two photons of near infrared region are used to excite alkali atoms to n 2 D5/2, n 2 D3/2 or higher energy levels, then the blue fluorescence of (n+1) 2 P3/2,(n+1) 2 P1/2→n 2 S1/2 are observed. Different pumping paths are tried and by the recorded spectra, transition routes of cesium are deducted and concluded. Finally the possibility of two-photon style DPALs (diode pumped alkali laser) are discussed, such alkali lasers can give output wavelengths in the shorter end of visual spectroscopy (400-460 nm) and are expected to get application in underwater communication and material laser processing.
Based on two-photon absorption, a 420nm blue laser of alkali Rb vapor was demonstrated, and a dye laser was used as the pumping laser. Utilizing the energy level structure of Rb atom, lasering mechanism and two-photon absorption process are analyzed. Absorbing two 778.1nm photons, Rb atoms were excited from 52 S1/2 to 52 D5/2, then relaxed to 62 P3/2 with mid infrared photon radiation. 420nm blue laser was achieved by the transition 62 P3/2→52 S1/2. To improve efficiency of the blue laser, two-photon resonant excitation pumped alkali vapor blue lasers are proposed, which will be good beam quality, high efficiency and scalable blue lasers. The development of diode pumped alkali vapor blue laser is expected.
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