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Applied Physics Letters

Lasing on the D lines of sodium pumped by free→free transitions of Na-Xe collision pairs

J. Darby Hewitt, James Gary Eden

Published Dec 10, 2012• 7 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Lasing on the D1 and D2 lines of Na (589.6 and 589.0 nm, respectively) has been generated simultaneously by photoexciting free→free transitions of thermal Na-Xe collision pairs. Pumping the blue satellite of the Na D2 line in Na/Xe mixtures (λ ≈ 560 nm) selectively interacts with Na-Xe pairs having an instantaneous internuclear separation of ∼5 Å and culminates in the population of both Na (32PJ) fine structure levels. The spectral width of the laser excitation spectrum is 1.3 nm (centered at 560.1 nm) and the 32P3/2→32S1/2 (D2) laser linewidth was measured to be 9.2 ± 0.6 GHz, which is consistent with a coefficient of 18.4 MHz/Torr for broadening of the D2 589.0 nm transition by Xe.

DOI
10.1063/1.4769456

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Frontiers in Optics•Jan 1, 2014•0 citations
Lasing on the D1 and D2 lines of Na (589.6 and 589.0 nm, respectively) has been generated simultaneously by photoexciting free→free transitions of thermal Na-Xe collision pairs. Pumping the blue satellite of the Na D2 line in Na/Xe mixtures (λ ≈ 560 nm) selectively interacts with Na-Xe pairs having an instantaneous internuclear separation of ∼5 Å and culminates in the population of both Na (32PJ) fine structure levels. The spectral width of the laser excitation spectrum is 1.3 nm (centered at 560.1 nm) and the 32P3/2→32S1/2 (D2) laser linewidth was measured to be 9.2 ± 0.6 GHz, which is consistent with a coefficient of 18.4 MHz/Torr for broadening of the D2 589.0 nm transition by Xe.
A two color process for optical pumping of the Rb D2 line laser (λ = 780 nm) in Rb vapor-rare gas mixtures is demonstrated to yield an overall quantum efficiency > 1. Combining photoexcitation of the Rb D2 line blue satellite in Rb-Xe or Rb-Ar mixtures with free ← free optical pumping of the A2Π12←X2Σ12+ transition at large internuclear separation (R > 5 Å) also increases the laser efficiency and pump absorption coefficient, relative to the single color, B ← X pumped system, by a factor of 1.7 and more than an order of magnitude, respectively. Simultaneous photopumping of Rb-Xe thermal collision pairs at 760 nm (D2 satellite) and 794.3 nm results in a 780 nm (D2 line) laser with a quantum efficiency of 1.008 which corresponds to the removal of ∼102 cm–1 (12.6 meV) of thermal energy per emitted photon.
Photoassociation of alkali-rare gas atomic collision pairs provides an alternative approach to optically pumping atomic alkali lasers. Lasing on the 6 P21/2→6 S21/2 (D1) transition of Cs has been observed when the blue satellite of the 6 P23/2←6 S21/2 (D2) transition, peaking at ∼837 nm for mixtures of Cs vapor, Ar, and ethane, is pumped by a pulsed dye laser. For 50% output coupling, laser threshold with respect to absorbed pump energy is ∼40 μJ at T=435 K and the slope efficiency approaches 10%. The measured spectral breadth for the blue satellite (≳5 nm at 410 K) will accommodate cw pumping of the Cs laser with conventional semiconductor lasers.
Lasing on the 62P1/2→62S1/2(D1) resonance transition of atomic Cs at 894.3 nm has been demonstrated in mixtures of Ar, ethane, and Cs vapor by the photoexcitation of ground state Cs-Ar collision pairs and subsequent dissociation of diatomic, electronically-excited CsAr molecules (exciplexes or excimers). The blue satellites of the alkali D2 lines provide a pathway for optically pumping atomic alkali lasers on the principal series (resonance) transitions with broad linewidth (>2 nm) semiconductor diode lasers. In this paper we discuss different variations of this new laser system and the experiments of the initial demonstration.
A method is proposed to produce population inversion on transitions involving the ground state of atoms. The method is realized experimentally with sodium atoms. Lasing at the frequency corresponding to the sodium D2{D}_{2}D2​ line is achieved in the presence of pump radiation resonant to the D1{D}_{1}D1​ line with helium as a buffer gas.
A mixture of dense sodium vapor (number density [Na] \ensuremath{\sim} 1013{10}^{13}1013 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$), and buffer gases helium, xenon, and nitrogen is optically pumped to a high degree of spin polarization using a single-frequency single-mode tunable dye laser. The relaxation in the "dark" of the variables 〈Sz〉〈{S}_{z}〉〈Sz​〉 and $〈\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{I}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{S}〉$ is studied as a function of [Na] and buffergas pressures. For lower helium pressures (46-torr helium and 2-torr Xe) the dominant contribution to the relaxation of 〈Sz〉〈{S}_{z}〉〈Sz​〉 in the presence of Xe comes from the "sticking" three-body collisions with He acting as the third body. This is further confirmed by studying the longitudinal magnetic field dependence of the spin-relaxation rate. At higher helium pressures (He 700 torr, and Xe 2 torr) the relaxation of 〈Sz〉〈{S}_{z}〉〈Sz​〉 in the presence of Xe is mainly due to the "sudden" binary collisions between the Na and Xe, and the relaxation rate of 〈Sz〉〈{S}_{z}〉〈Sz​〉 is independent of the longitudinal magnetic field. Significant hyperfine pumping is achieved by proper tuning of the laser. The temperature dependence of the relaxation of $〈\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{I}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{S}〉$ and 〈Sz〉〈{S}_{z}〉〈Sz​〉 is also discussed.