Abstract:
An infrared source producing a coherent output having a spectrally narrow and continuously tunable frequency is described. Such a source uses a four wave mixing process in an alkali metal vapor, wherein the initial input beams to the alkali metal vapor come from two dye lasers. In an alternative mode of operation, tunable ultraviolet output is obtained.
Abstract:
A capacitive discharge in cesium vapor is used to realize an externally controllable Q-switch synchronizing the appearance of pulse trains from a passively mode-locked neodymium glass laser with other events occurring on a microsecond time scale.
Abstract:
In an optical maser like the maser described in Specification 982,410, the host crystal, which may be calcium fluoride, is doped with divalent samarium. The pumping frequency produces transitions from a ground state A to an excitation state D from which there are non-radiative transitions to a metastable state C close to the excitation state D. A transition from metastable state C to terminating state B close to the ground state produces the output which is in the same part of the spectrum (red) as the pumping frequency. The two non-radiative transitions Y1, Y2 involve only small energy changes.