The induction pumping of Coaxial Lasers on Self-Terminating Transitions

Abstract

The paper presents the results of the numerical simulations of pumping a copper vapour laser by a repetitively pulsed induction (electrodeless) discharge. We have investigated the version of the laser with an annular discharge volume formed by two coaxial cylinders. Such coaxial chamber is shown to be more appropriate for the induction pumping than the conventional cylindrical chamber. In the first case, higher coupling factors in the transformercoupled circuit of the induction discharge as well as rather high curl electric field are achieved. Moreover, from the ecological point of view, the coaxial chamber appears to be safer for the surrounding personnel in terms of their exposure to electromagnetic radiation. The present work briefly presents the physical model of the laser which describes the dynamics of the plasma parameters, the kinetics of the inverse population of the working levels for the laser on self terminating transitions as well as the development of the induction radiation. The paper also presents the electrical equations describing the simplest source of electrical pump pulses. The thermal characteristics of the working medium are estimated and the design calculations of the chamber are performed. The numerical experiments have found that, in contrast to the case of a conventional copper vapour laser with aperiodic discharge, in the regarded versions of the copper vapour laser the pump pulse is realized as a train of high-frequency damped oscillations. The analysis of the physical processes occurring in the plasma of the high-frequency discharge is carried out. The pulsed behaviour of the Joule heat power is shown to release results in pronounced pulsations of the electron temperature. This fact, however, does not significantly affect the operation of the laser on self-terminating transitions. In the optimal pumping regimes, subtle oscillations are merely observed for the inverse population of the copper atom working levels and for the intensity in the radiation pulse. High output laser characteristics achieved in the numerical simulations demonstrate the potential for efficient pumping of the copper vapour laser using the inductive method which is new for such lasers.