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Optics Express

Watt level laser source for a polychromatic laser guide stars: double resonant fluorescence from 3S1/2-3P3/2-3D5/2 transition of sodium atoms

Qing-Shuang Zong, Chuan Guo, Qi Bian, Chang Xu, Jun-Wei Zuo, Han Lin, Yu Shen, Zhimin Wang, Nan Zong, Yong Bo, Dafu Cui, Qinjun Peng, Zuyan Xu

Published Apr 17, 2019• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

level is observed clearly by tuning the wavelength of 589 and 819.7 nm beams. In the proof-of-principle experiment, it is preliminarily verified that this laser system is expected to be applied to the sky experiment.
DOI
10.1364/oe.27.012255

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Seven possible variants of the sodium atom excitation are considered for creating a polychromatic laser guide star (LGS). It has been shown that the 42P3/2 ← 32S1/2 transition excited at a wavelength of 330.237 nm is most suitable for creating a polychromatic LGS in sodium vapor using the effect of cascade fluorescence at one-photon excitation. In this case, the excitation efficiency will be 2 orders of magnitude lower compared to the efficiency of creating a monochromatic LGS at a wavelength of 589 nm.
Abstract The efficiency of ten sodium atom excitation schemes that can potentially be used to generate a sodium polychromatic laser guide star (PLGS) and a monochromatic laser guide star (LGS) is compared. It is shown that for creating an LGS in sodium vapor using the cascade fluorescence effect with single-photon excitation, the most suitable is the 42P3/2 ← 32S1/2 transition excited at a wavelength of 330.237 nm and demonstrating the highest LGS characteristics, while the efficiency decreases by two orders of magnitude compared to a monochromatic LGS at a wavelength of 588.995 nm.
Sodium laser guide star (LGS) is the key for the success of modern adaptive optics (AO) supported large ground based telescopes, however, for many field applications, Sodium LGS’s brightness is still a limited factor. Large amounts of theoretical efforts have been paid to optimize Sodium LGS exciting parameters, that is, to fully discover potential of harsh environment surrounding mesospheric extreme thin sodium atoms under resonant excitation, whether quantum or Monte Carlo based. But till to now, only limited proposals are demonstrated with on-sky test due to the high cost and engineering complexities. To bridge the gap between theoretical modeling and on-sky test, we built a magnetic field controllable sodium cell based lab-bench, which includes a small scale sum-frequency single mode 589nm laser, with added amplitude, polarization, and phase modulators. We could perform quantitative resonant fluorescence study under single, multi-frequency, side-band optical re-pumping exciting with different polarization, also we could perform optical field modulation to study Larmor precession which is considered as one of devils of Sodium LGS, and we have the ability to generate beams contain orbital angular moment. Our preliminary sodium cell based optical re-pumping experiments have shown excellent consistence with Bloch equation predicted results, other experimental results will also be presented in the report, and these results will give a direct support that sodium cell based lab-bench study could help a Sodium LGS scientists a lot before their on-sky test.
The mechanisms responsible for ultraviolet to mid-infrared light generation in sodium vapours two-photon excited with continuous-wave sub-100 mW power resonant laser radiation are elucidated from orbital angular momentum transfer of the applied light to the generated fields. The measured 9.5 MHz-wide spectral linewidth of the light at 819.7 nm generated by four-wave mixing, sets an upper limit to the linewidth of two fields resulting from amplified spontaneous emission at 2338 nm and 9093 nm on population inverted transitions. Understanding details of this new-field generation is central to applications such as stand-off detection and directional laser guide stars.
With quantum Bloch equations and sodium cell based experiment, we systematically resolved optical repumping mechanism of sodium atoms, a path to brighter sodium laser guide star (SLGS) that would be accepted by worldwide observatories. Besides the former studies, we detailed the population distribution of sodium atoms with and without repumping, which makes the repumping mechanism easy to understand. Experimental results based on a buffer gas free sodium cell and a single frequency laser implies that the optimum repumping frequency offset is 1712 MHz, and the repumping power fraction should be 10-18%. The light intensity depended character of repumping is also carried out. We learned that future SLGS pumped by higher effective light intensity would benefit more from repumping. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic investigation of repumping mechanism using a single mode sum-frequency laser, which gives thorough support for previous numerical work and shows that the lab bench experiment could be used as an intermediate link between theoretical modeling and on-sky test.
i n Ùnal for m Marc h 1, 2001) W e rep ort results of investigation on the Ûuorescence induced in sodium v ap our by pulses of laser light tuned near the 3 S ! 4 P transition (330 nm ).T he Ûuorescence w as observed in perp endi cular and parallel direction s in resp ect to the laser b eam.A depletion of Ûuorescence intensity corresp ondin g to the 5 D ! 3 P transition (498 nm) was observed along the laser beam.W e explain this e˜ect as a result of reabsorption that is caused by intense p opulati on of the 3 P level due to cascade stimulated pro cesses.T he most intense depletio n occurs ab out 20 ns after the laser pulse and it corresp onds to the moment of maximal populati on of the 3 P level.