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Physical Review A

Doppler broadening and collisional relaxation effects in a lasing-without-inversion experiment

Martin Graf, E. Arimondo, Edward S. Fry, Dmitri E. Nikonov, Gunasiri G. Padmabandu, Marlan O. Scully, Shi-Yao Zhu

Published May 1, 1995• 25 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In the early experiments on optical pumping and coherent population trapping (``dark resonances'') increasing buffer gas pressure enhances the effect. In our recent lasing-without-inversion experiments, based on population trapping, we find the opposite behavior, namely, decreasing atomic coherence with increasing buffer gas pressure. We provide a theoretical explanation of this result in agreement with experiment.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.51.4030

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In the early experiments on optical pumping and coherent population trapping (``dark resonances'') increasing buffer gas pressure enhances the effect. In our recent lasing-without-inversion experiments, based on population trapping, we find the opposite behavior, namely, decreasing atomic coherence with increasing buffer gas pressure. We provide a theoretical explanation of this result in agreement with experiment.
Atomic coherence gives rise to a series of interesting phenomena in quantum optics.1 In this work we investigate coherence effects within the Na Dl line, demonstrating coherent trapping and lasing without inversion, and study the dependence of these phenomena on buffer gas pressure. Two pump laser beams (I, and I2) are tuned to the frequencies υ1 and υ2 that correspond to the 3S1/2 (F=1, 2) → 3P1/2 transition and are right circularly polarized. Pockels cells are used to turn on or/and off the beams within approximately one nanosecond. To demonstrate lasing without inversion, a weak pulse of left polarized light tuned to t)2 was used to create a small population in the upper level (3P1/2) and the amplification of I, was observed. We found a significant gain in the absence of population inversion, which was verified by a direct experimental observation. These results were observed as a function of buffer gas pressure. The atomic coherence effects are shown to disappear in the presence of a helium buffer gas at a pressure of ≈ 1 Torr; whereas, complete optical pumping is only achieved at helium buffer gas pressures >10 Torr.
Coherent emission on the 3 P –3 S resonance transition ( D line) of nonresonantly excited sodium atoms in a buffer gas atmosphere is studied experimentally and theoretically. Both forward and backward coherent emission on the D lines is observed relative to the propagation direction of a pump beam whose frequency is blue-shifted from resonance. The divergence of the emitted radiation does not exceed that of the pump beam. The emission is due to the population inversion created on the “operating” transition when the pump is far detuned from resonance and the buffer gas pressure is sufficiently high. It is found that both emission intensity and the detuning range where this phenomenon is observed increase with the buffer gas pressure.
Lasing on the sodium resonance transitions (D1 and D2 lines) at the superluminosity regime was observed upon the nonresonance excitation in the presence of a buffer gas. Dependences of the lasing intensity on the pump radiation intensity and its frequency detuning from the frequencies of resonance transitions were examined. It was found that under the specific experimental conditions (high buffer gas pressure, sufficiently high intensity of pump radiation) upon the large positive frequency detuning of pump radiation with respect to the frequency of resonance (working) transition, contrary to ingrained conceptions, population inversion for the working transition is raised. That results in observed phenomena.
Lasing at the resonance transitions ( D 1− and D 2− lines) of sodium was observed in the superradiance mode upon nonresonance optical excitation in the presence of a buffer gas. The dependences of the lasing intensity on the exciting radiation intensity and on the detuning of its frequency from the frequencies of resonance transitions were studied. It is found that, under specific conditions of the experiment (high pressure of a buffer gas and a rather high radiation intensity), in the case of a large positive detuning of the exciting radiation frequency from the resonance (“working”) transition frequency, the population inversion is produced at the “ working” transition, which results in lasing.