Metal vapor gain media based on multiphoton dissociation of organometallics

Abstract

The authors have observed multiphoton induced emission from supersonic nozzle beams of Cr(CO)₆ and (C₆H₆)Cr(CO)₃ which is extremely intense and longlived. Certain types of emission lasting many tens of microseconds, which the authors have definitively assigned as due to transitions originating at a 7D manifold of J levels in neutral chromium atoms, can only be observed using (C₆H₆)Cr(CO)₃ and other arene chromium tricarbonyls. This situation only occurs because of structure dependent intramolecular dynamics in (C₆H₆)Cr(CO)₃ which occur during the multiphoton dissociation and which do not occur during multiphoton dissociation of Cr(CO)₆. Taken together; the precise wavelength needed to produce these levels, the very low amount of focusing needed to observe the emission, and the high vapor pressures attainable using organometallics strongly suggest that this discovery could lead to the development of a new class of lasers, optical amplifiers and parametric oscillators. In this case, lasers operating near 465 nm and 1.3 micrometers may be feasible. The scheme could also be utilized to produce 'metal vapor' type lasers using a wide variety of refractory metal atoms as the basis of the gain media.