Diode pumped alkali laser (DPAL) with hydrocarbon buffer gases has the features of low threshold and high efficiency. The chemical reaction between alkali and hydrocarbon gases affects the life time of DPAL. In this paper, a method based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Lambert-Beer law is adopted to find a safe temperature at which DPAL runs for a long term. A theoretical model is established to figure out ways to reduce the peak temperature in the cell window. The results indicates that 170 °C is a safe temperature. Although the absorbance of the cell window to the pump light and alkali laser is lower, there is temperature increase. Small light-transmitting area and air blowing on the windows can reduce the peak temperature effectively. Cooling the cell window is essential and critical in a long-term running DPAL.
A continuous wave diode pump rubidium vapor laser (Rb-DPAL) is developed in this paper. It has long operating time at output power of 1 W. The Rb-DPAL, with optical efficiency of 18.9% and slope efficiency of 24.0%, has the characteristics of high stability and good beam quality. It is expected to be a kind of good pump source of SERF rubidium magnetometer.
A self-heated diode-pumped alkali laser (SDPAL) with a microfabricated alkali cell is proposed. Based on Beach’s model and finite-element analysis theory, the output characteristics of a cesium self-heated laser are studied. The results indicate that an SDPAL with a cell length of 2 mm is feasible. The output power of a typical SDPAL is ∼Watt level. Rapid heat convection around the mini cell can increase the output power. At the same time, the utilization ratio of the pumping light will decrease. A heating experiment is also conducted to validate the theoretical model. When pumping power of 0.69 W is illuminated on the light absorber, the cell temperature can reach 76.4°C with a single-side heated structure. The results show that with a mini vapor cell, SDPAL can be portable and competitive when ∼Watt-level laser with wavelength of alkali D1 line is required.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.