Open AccessInvestigation of dual-wavelength pump schemes for optically pumped rare gas lasers
Author(s) -
Pengfei Sun,
Duluo Zuo,
X. Wang,
Jiande Han,
Michael C. Heaven
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.392810
Subject(s) - laser , lasing threshold , materials science , optics , wavelength , optical pumping , laser pumping , optoelectronics , diode , physics
Optically pumped rare gas lasers (OPRGLs) have shown great potential to generate high energy laser radiation with high beam quality. As an alternative to the diode-pumped alkali vapor lasers (DPALs), they have similar working principles and characteristics, but OPRGLs have the advantage that the gain medium is chemically inert and is appropriate for closed-cycle operation. One of the challenges OPRGLs are faced with is the bottleneck caused by the slow 1s 4 -1s 5 collisional relaxations at room temperature. A 1s 4 -2p 10 dual-wavelength pump method had been proposed to transfer the populations pooled on the 1s 4 level to the lasing cycle using a steady-state laser model. We explored this method further through 1s 4 -2p 8 and 1s 4 -2p 7 dual-wavelength pump schemes. The enhancement efficiencies at room temperature for a repetitively pulsed discharge, CW dual-wavelength pump system were examined using a dynamic model, and an experiment with a pulsed secondary pump was conducted for qualitative evaluations.