Stimulated Emission from Radiation Trapping Atoms: The Copper Vapor Laser

Yaakov Shevy, M. Rosenbluh, Harry Friedmann

Alexander Bulyshev, В. И. Денисов, N. G. Preobrazhenskii +1 more

R. A. SMITH

Anatoly A. Isaev, V T Mikhkel'soo, Gueorgii G. Petrash +2 more

Anatoly A. Isaev

An investigation was made of the spectral composition of the spontaneous radiation, superradiance, and laser radiation emitted by a pulsed copper vapor laser. The time resolution was about 3 nsec. It was found that the observed spectral structure of the laser radiation and superradiance was governed by the hyperfine and isotopic splitting of the active levels of the copper atom. In the absence of saturation of the active medium a narrowing of the spectral line profiles was observed during a superradiance pulse. When saturation was achieved for superradiance and lasing, the line profiles broadened to the width of the spontaneous emission line during a radiation pulse. It was found that the temperature of the gas in the copper vapor laser did not exceed 2500°K.

Jin Joong Kim, Nackchin Sung

We have observed, for the first time to our knowledge, stimulated emission in atomic-copper vapor that is excited by a resonant tunable laser beam. One of the important and interesting results obtained in this experiment is that excitation of the (2)P(1/2) level of the copper atoms generates strong amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) for both(2)P(1/2)-(2)D(3/2) and (2)P(3/2)-(2)D(5/2) transitions. This is the first reported direct experimental evidence observed for collisional mixing between the (2)P(1/2) and (2)P(3/2) levels in a copper-vapor laser. Excitation of the (2)P(3/2) level induces substantially weaker ASE for the (2)P(1/2)-(2)D(3/2) transition. In addition, we observed collision-induced ASE for both transitions over a wide range of detuning of the pump frequency. The preliminary results of the experiment are presented, and the implications of the results for high-pressure copper-vapor lasers are discussed.