Operation Of A Broadband UV-Visible Diatomic Sulfur Laser

Sheldon B Hutchison

doi:10.1117/12.944385

12 July 1988 Operation Of A Broadband UV-Visible Diatomic Sulfur Laser

Sheldon B Hutchison

Proceedings Volume 0894, Gas Laser Technology; (1988) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.944385
Event: 1988 Los Angeles Symposium: O-E/LASE '88, 1988, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Abstract

Laser sources based on the diatomic sulfur (S₂) molecule have demonstrated features which make this molecule an attractive tunable laser alternative. The very high gain on the S₂ B--X transitions allows superfluorescent laser emission over a broad spectral range, from the UV to the orange. The lasing medium may be contained in a sealed-off optical cell practically indefinitely, thus eliminating the need to regularly replace gases, dyes, or solvents. The S₂ molecular vapor is easily and fairly efficiently pumped by standard xenon chloride (XeClJ UV excimer lasers. Pumping by other UV laser sources (N₂, He-Cd) produces Raman spectra which provide additional output wavelengths in the UV and visible. The work summarized here deals with the operation of a superfluorescent S₂ laser wavelength converter. This device has achieved up to 211 simultaneous laser lines in groups from 328 to 583 nm in a thermal dissociation configuration with 308 nm excitation from a xenon chloride (XeC1) laser. Due to the superfluorescent operation of this device, the overall conversion efficiency is low, although it has been observed to be as high as approximately 10%. In order to understand the operation of this wavelength converter, a range of experiments was performed which involved sulfur molecular dissociation kinetics and optical absorption measurements, as well as spectroscopic emission/ absorption band origin identification. These data also lead to measurements and estimates of laser operational parameters.

Citation Download Citation

Sheldon B Hutchison "Operation Of A Broadband UV-Visible Diatomic Sulfur Laser", Proc. SPIE 0894, Gas Laser Technology, (12 July 1988); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.944385

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