Study on key operating parameters of diode-pumped Cs vapor laser

Abstract

Kilowatts class diode-pumped Cs vapor laser (DPCL) has been realized and this kind of lasers have military applications potentially for its high output power with high efficiency. Pumped by a fiber coupled laser diode, the key operating parameters of a DPCL are studied, including the spot size of focused pumping light, pressure ratio of buffer gases, vapor cell length, temperature of Cs vapor and reflectivity of output coupler. The spot size is properly chosen in the consideration of both the intensity scalability and mode matching. Pressure ratio is optimized under a modest pressure of mixed gases of helium and ethane. Under the optimized pressure ratio, the Cs vapor can absorb the pumping energy and convert it into laser energy efficiently. Besides, the temperature and reflectivity are also optimized to operate the DPCL in optimum state. The results have significant instructions for the experimental design of DPCL.