The Comparison of Lasing Parameters of Ne + Eu and He + Eu Lasers

Resumo

The lasing characteristics of an atomic europium vapor laser with He and Ne as a buffer gas at the y⁸P_9/2 → \({{8}^{7}}D_{{11/2}}^{0}\) transition at a wavelength of 1.76 µm are compared. It is shown that the output power and pulsed energy of the He + Eu laser, which depend on the pumping power and pulse repetition frequency, are slightly worse than those of the Ne + Eu laser. An empirical model is proposed to explain the behavior of the He + Eu laser output power as a function of the input power. It is ascertained that the He + Eu laser lifetime does not exceed two hours, while the Ne + Eu laser has been operated for about 200 hours by the end of the experiment. It is suggested that the same process, where He participates, is responsible for the relaxation of metastable levels of the Eu ion and atom and the degradation of active media, which consist of a mixture of Eu and He vapors.