SPATIAL GAIN PROFILES OF A CONTINUOUS-WAVE RADIOFREQUENCY PUMPED ATOMIC XENON LASER

Spatially dependent small signal gain measurements in a continuous wav e rf excited Ar-He-Xe (59.5/40/0.5) gas discharge are presented. Maxim um values for the small signal gain of the 2.03 and 2.65 mu m xenon tr ansitions of about 22% and 37%/cm, respectively, were obtained at a to tal pressure of 120 mbar, an input power per unit electrode area of 20 W/cm(2) and at a rf driving frequency of 115 MHz. With a spatial reso lution better than 0.5 mm, a strongly inhomogeneous gain distribution in the transverse direction was measured. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.