Analysis of characteristics of a diode-pumped rubidium vapour laser using a kinetic algorithm

Abstract

We consider diode-pumped alkali vapour lasers (DPALs), which make it possible to achieve a high output power. Characteristics of such DPALs strongly depend on the physical properties of buffer gases and on structural parameters of a vapour cell. Special attention is paid to a diode-pumped rubidium vapour laser (DPRVL): We have investigated the effect of different conditions on its characteristics. The results show that the linewidth of the line of a DPRVL and the fine-structure mixing rate between two excited energy levels, which are two crucial factors in implementing a high-power DPRVL, increase with the pressure of buffer gases and the temperature of the vapour cell. It is demonstrated that the population ratio of two excited energy levels is close to that corresponding to a thermal equilibrium as the pressure of buffer gases and the temperature of the vapour cell become higher. We have found that the optimal values of the methane pressure, the cell temperature and the cell length can be determined through a kinetic analysis. The conclusions can be valuable for designing configurations of an end-pumped DPAL.