INVESTIGATIONS OF SUPERFLUORESCENT CASCADES

We report our studies of superfluorescent cascades in atomic calcium w hich result from two-photon excitation of several levels reasonably cl ose to the ionization limit. We have observed significant conversion e fficiencies for some of these transitions which result in subnanosecon d pulses particularly in the visible wavelengths. We report the discov ery of a novel two-photon scattering mechanism which could prove to be a useful method for determining collisional broadening rates. In addi tion, a hyper Raman transition near 17 mum is discovered which appears to be a promising candidate for a tunable source.