Single-longitudinal-mode pumped pulsed-dye amplifier for high-resolution laser spectroscopy.

Area of Science:

• Atomic Physics
• Laser Spectroscopy
• Nuclear Physics

Background:

• The In-Gas-jet Laser Ionization and Spectroscopy (IGLIS) technique requires high-quality laser pulses for accurate hyperfine structure probing.
• Existing laser systems using commercial Nd:YAG lasers suffer from spectral sidebands, limiting spectral resolution and data analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a new prototype Nd:YAG laser system for IGLIS applications.
• To mitigate spectral sideband issues in laser systems used for hyperfine spectroscopy.

Main Methods:

• Integration of a prototype Nd:YAG laser with a pulsed dye amplifier (PDA).
• Detailed temporal and frequency characterization of the combined laser system.
• Performance evaluation using hyperfine spectroscopy of copper isotopes.

Main Results:

• The new system delivers quasi-transform-limited laser pulses at 10 kHz with minimal power loss.
• Spectral sideband amplitude was reduced below 0.2%, with simulations predicting a further order of magnitude reduction.
• Successful demonstration of the system's capability in hyperfine spectroscopy.

Conclusions:

• The developed Nd:YAG laser system significantly improves laser pulse quality for IGLIS.
• This advancement enables more precise and accurate hyperfine structure analysis of isotopes.
• The system shows strong potential for future IGLIS studies and related atomic physics research.