Harmonic-seeded remote laser emissions in N₂-Ar, N₂-Xe and N₂-Ne mixtures: a comparative study

Opt Express. 2012 Sep 10;20(19):20970-9. doi: 10.1364/OE.20.020970.

Abstract

We report on the investigation on harmonic-seeded remote laser emissions at 391 nm wavelength from strong-field ionized nitrogen molecules in three different gas mixtures, i.e., N₂-Ar, N₂-Xe and N₂-Ne. We observed a decrease in the remote laser intensity in the N₂-Xe mixture because of the decreased clamped intensity in the filament; whereas in the N₂-Ne mixture, the remote laser intensity slightly increases because of the increased clamped intensity within the filament. Remarkably, although the clamped intensity in the filament remains nearly unchanged in the N₂-Ar mixture because of the similar ionization potentials of N₂ and Ar, a significant enhancement of the lasing emission is realized in the N₂-Ar mixture. The enhancement is attributed to the stronger third harmonic seed, and longer gain medium due to the extended filament.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't