title: Resonance transition 795-nm rubidium laser.
abstract: Population inversion of the 2P 1/2 and 2S 1/2 levels and continuous-wave, three-level laser oscillation at 795 nm on the D1 transition of the rubidium atom has been demonstrated. Using a titanium sapphire laser as a pump source, we obtained a slope power efficiency of 54% relative to absorbed pump power, consistent with homogeneous broadening of the rubidium pump and laser transitions. The end-pumped rubidium laser performance was well described by use of literature spectroscopic and kinetic data in a model that takes into account ground-level depletion and a pump spectral bandwidth that is substantially larger than the collisionally broadened pump transition spectral width.
authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, University of California, P.O. Box 808, Livermore, California 94551, USA. krupke3@aol.com
authors.forename: William F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Krupke
authors.forename: Raymond J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Beach
authors.forename: V Keith
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Kanz
authors.forename: Stephen A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Payne