Increase in the power of lasing on atomic and ion transitions in chemical elements

Abstract

A method for increasing the power of pulsed lasing on atomic and ion transitions in chemical elements obtained by the conversion of the UV radiation of excimer lasers in cells with metal vapours is studied. A part of UV radiation transmitted through a cell with metal vapour is used for pumping a dye solution in such a way that the cell converter with metal vapour represents a master oscillator, while the dye cell represents an amplifier. The study is performed by the example of amplification of weak spectral components of radiation from a XeCl* laser converted in mercury and barium vapours. In the amplifying stage the longitudinal pumping of the dye is used and a scheme for suppressing self-excitation is employed. It is found by selecting dyes that the alcohol solution of uranin is nearly optimal for amplification of the 546.1-nm laser line of mercury, while the best results in amplification of the 533-nm and 648.2-nm laser lines of barium were obtained by using alcohol solutions of rhodamine 6G and oxazine 17, respectively. The power of the 546.1-nm mercury line was increased by an order of magnitude, while the power of the 533-nm and 648.2-nm lines of barium – almost by a factor of twenty-five.