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Role Of Excited State Photoionization In The 852.1 Nm Cs Laser Pumped By Cs-Ar Photoassociation, J. D. Hewitt, T. J. Houlahan Jr., Jeffrey E. Gallagher, D. L. Carroll, A. D. Palla, J. T. Verdeyen, Glen P. Perram, J. G. Eden

Faculty Publications

Photoionization of Cs (6p ²P_3/2) atoms during the operation of a Cs D₂ line (852.1 nm: 6p ²P_3/2→6s ²S_1/2) laser, pumped by free→free transitions of thermal Cs-Ar ground state pairs, has been investigated experimentally and computationally. Photoexcitation of Cs vapor/Ar mixtures through the blue satellite of the D₂ transition (peaking at 836.7 nm) selectively populates the ²P_3/2 upper laser level by the dissociation of the CsAr excited complex. Comparison of laser output energy data, for instantaneous pump powers up to 3 MW, with the …