Low cost nitrogen laser design for dye laser pumping.

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Laser Technology
• Optics

Background:

• Pulsed lasers are crucial for various scientific applications.
• Developing compact and efficient laser systems remains an active research area.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct a simple and effective pulsed cross-field molecular nitrogen laser.
• To characterize the performance of the constructed nitrogen laser.

Main Methods:

• Utilized two plate glass strips (5 cm x 1.2 m) to build the laser channel.
• Employed twenty 500-pF capacitors charged by a thyratron at up to 30 Hz.
• Operated the flowing gas laser at 15 kV and 20 Torr.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 160-kW light pulse with a 10-nsec full-width half-maximum duration.
• Successfully demonstrated the laser's capability to pump a tunable dye laser.

Conclusions:

• A simple construction method yields a powerful pulsed molecular nitrogen laser.
• The developed laser system is suitable for pumping tunable dye lasers, expanding its utility.