Narrowband gain saturation characteristics in XeF lasers

Area of Science:

• Laser Physics
• Gas Discharge Physics
• Quantum Electronics

Background:

• Xenon Fluoride (XeF) lasers are important sources of UV radiation.
• Understanding gain characteristics under saturation is crucial for optimizing laser performance.
• Electron-beam pumping enables high-power gas laser operation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the gain characteristics of an electron-beam pumped XeF laser.
• To analyze the effects of single and dual-wavelength saturation on XeF gain.
• To determine the coupling mechanisms and efficiency of extraction from the XeF gain manifold.

Main Methods:

• Electron-beam pumped XeF (neon diluent) gas mixture.
• Saturation using one or two external laser beams at XeF wavelengths (351.1, 351.2, 353.2 nm).
• Broadband UV dye laser probing to measure the gain spectrum under saturation.

Main Results:

• Fast rotational coupling and homogeneous saturation observed within individual XeF gain bands.
• Nonuniform and weaker vibrational coupling between different XeF laser lines.
• Saturation behavior showed low sensitivity to bandwidths (4 or 8 GHz) of saturating beams.
• Efficient extraction necessitates targeting at least two XeF laser lines due to weak inter-line coupling.

Conclusions:

• XeF laser gain saturation is largely homogeneous within a line due to rapid rotational coupling.
• Weak vibrational coupling between XeF lines limits single-line extraction efficiency.
• Optimal energy extraction from the XeF manifold requires multi-line operation.