CW Mid-Infrared NH3 Lasers

Abstract

This thesis describes a series of experiments that were undertaken to extend the limits of output power and wavelength coverage of optically pumped mid-infrared lasers. Initially, two new cw Raman lasers operating at wavelengths of 11.5 and 12.5 pm were developed. Maximum output powers of 650 add 150 mW were produced, with pump powers of 11 and 3.3 W, respectively. The effect of the pump offset on the output power was then determined by measuring the efficiency of an NH3 laser pumped at frequency offsets of 94 and 274 MHz. In lasers ope rating in pure NH3 the larger pump offset required a greater pump intensity to reach threshold, but efficiency increased with pump offset. Higher NH3 pressures could be used at larger pump offsets and the improved efficiency was attributed to reduced saturation effects at the higher operating pressures. Experiments carried out with NH3 inversion lasers have greatly increased the output powers available at a large number of wavelengths in the 10 to 14 um range. In a buffered NH3 mixture, the sR(5,0) transition was pumped on resonance. Collisions with either N2 or Ar buffer gases were effective in thermalizing the rotational populations in the v2=1 vibrational level and producing gain on a wide range of frequencies. Output powers as large as 3.5 W on a single Tine and greater than 5 W multi-line were produced, at efficiencies of 20 and 30 % respectively. The number of lasing wavelengths increased substantially, as more than forty ortho-NH3 transitions were observed to lase in a grating-tuned cavity. The optical pumping technique was then used for the first time to produce line-tunable lasing on para-NH3 transitions. The sR(5,1) transition was pumped near resonance and 24 para-transitions were observed to lase. In total, lasing was achieved on 65 different transitions in 14NHg, with wave lengths of 10.3 to 13.8 pm.