Enhancement of electric oxygen-iodine laser performance using larger mode volume resonators

Abstract

Herein the authors report on the demonstration of an 87% enhancement in cw laser power on the 1315 nm transition of atomic iodine via a 100% increase in the resonator mode volume. O(2)(a1Delta) is produced by a single rf-excited electric discharge sustained in an O(2)-He-NO gas mixture flowing through a rectangular geometry, and I(P2(1/2)) is then pumped using energy transferred from O(2)(a1Delta). A total laser output power of 102.5 W was obtained using a Z-pass resonator configuration.