High-power optically pumped CW 12 micron NH3 amplifier systems
Abstract
A theoretical and experimental study of a CW CO2 laser pumped Raman NH3 amplifier at 12 microns is presented. An amplifier power conversion efficiency of 30 percent, which is the highest reported to date for any optically pumped system in this spectral range, was demonstrated experimentally. An amplifier model based on the density matrix treatment for a near-resonant Raman interaction was found to give a good description of the experimental behavior when thermal effects such as density gradients were also included. Scaling relations for the amplifier are deduced and used to illustrate the conditions for which one might achieve a 150 W continuous wave output.
- Publication:
-
IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics
- Pub Date:
- May 1987
- DOI:
- Bibcode:
- 1987IJQE...23..623W
- Keywords:
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- Ammonia;
- Carbon Dioxide Lasers;
- Continuous Wave Lasers;
- High Power Lasers;
- Laser Outputs;
- Optical Pumping;
- Light Amplifiers;
- Raman Spectra;
- Runge-Kutta Method;
- Waveguide Lasers;
- Lasers and Masers