K2 optically pumped lasers using temporally delayed pulses in the counterintuitive sequence

Abstract

We report increased stimulated emission on some optically pumped laser transitions coupled to suppressed stimulated emission on other transitions when a weak Stokes laser beam and a strong pump laser beam interact with K2 molecules in the counterintuitive sequence. The Stokes laser photons begin to interact with the K2 molecules 3 to 4 ns before the pump laser photons can interact with the K2 molecules. Both the Stokes and the pump laser pulses last for approximately 5 ns and the suppressed and enhanced stimulated emissions coincide with the pump laser pulse. The stimulated emissions described in this paper propagate parallel to the Stokes and pump laser beams.