When atomic potassium was populated to 6S state by two--photon resonantly exciting, coherent radiation in visible region was produced through four--and six--wave mixing processes. The mixing mechanismswere discussed in this paper.
A pulsed dye-laser beam (ωL) pumped by a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser is focused into a heat-pipe oven containing potassium vapor (nk ≈ 1016 cm−3). Two-photon resonant four-wave and six-wave mixing processes using the potassium 8s 2S1/2 state are investigated. Thirty-two coherent UV radiation lines are generated within the range of 300–400 nm through the processes ωUV = 2ωL ± ωIR and ωUV = 2ωL − ω′IR − ω″IR ± ω‴IR, where ωIR are frequencies of laser-induced IR waves generated in the vapor near the transitions 8S–7P, 7P–7S, 7P–5D, 8S–6P, 7S–6P, 5D–6P, etc. The influence of resonant enhancement on the UV line intensities and the phase-matching condition are analyzed.
Two-photon resonant optical processes, using potassium ns2S1/2 states (7 ≤ n ≤ 20), are investigated in detail by a pulsed dye laser. About 100 coherent lines between 288–422 nm are generated through the processes ωUV ± ωIR = 2ωL and [Formula: see text]. The strongest lines (near mP–4S transitions) are formed by parametric oscillation and are generally split into components that are frequency shifted relative to atomic transitions. About 70 lines are generated by six-wave mixing processes and 15 other lines by four-wave mixing processes. The wavelengths, relative intensities of the lines, and the components of the strongest lines are explained with a theoretical analysis based on the wave equation, atomic polarization, and phase-match condition for both wave-mixing processes and parametric oscillations.
Potassium 4S1/2 - 6S1/2 two-photon excitation initiates the emission of several internally generated photons. For the first time two emission lines one close and one below the potassium 4P3/2 level are reported. Radiation emitted below the 4P3/2 - 4S1/2 level is due to a Parametric Four Wave Mixing (PFWM) process initiated by the internally generated radiation from 5P3/2 - 4S1/2 level. The line emitted close to the 4P3/2 level is produced by a two-step Four Wave Mixing (FWM) process. Direct one photon driving of 4S3/2 - 4P3/2 transition produces similar to HEP radiation.