Demonstration of a diode-pumped metastable Ar laser

Pulsed lasing from optically pumped rare gas metastable atoms (Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe) has been demonstrated previously. The laser relies on a three-level scheme, which involves the (n + 1)p[5/2](3) and (n + 1)p[1/2](1) states from the np(5)(n + 1)p electronic configuration and the metastable (n + 1)s[3/2](2) level of the np(5)(n + 1)s configuration (Racah notation). Population inversions were achieved using relaxation from ((n + 1)p[5/2](3) to (n + 1)p[1/2](1) induced by collisions with helium or argon at pressures near 1 atm. Pulsed lasing was easily achieved using the high instantaneous pump intensities provided by a pulsed optical parametric oscillator excitation laser. In the present study we examine the potential for the development of a continuous wave (CW) optically pumped Ar laser. We report lasing of the 4p[1/2](1) - \u3e 4s[3/2](2) (912.547 nm) transition following CW diode laser excitation of the 4p[5/2](3) - \u3e 4s[3/2](2) line (811.754 nm). A pulsed discharge was used to generate Ar 4s[3/2](2), and the time-resolved lasing kinetics provide insights concerning the radiative and collisional relaxation processes. (C) 2013 Optical Society of Americ