Abstract

We have observed, for the first time to our knowledge, stimulated emission in atomic-copper vapor that is excited by a resonant tunable laser beam. One of the important and interesting results obtained in this experiment is that excitation of the ²P_1/2 level of the copper atoms generates strong amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) for both ²P_1/2−²D_3/2 and ²P_3/2−²D_5/2 transitions. This is the first reported direct experimental evidence observed for collisional mixing between the ²P_1/2 and ²P_3/2 levels in a copper-vapor laser. Excitation of the ²P_3/2 level induces substantially weaker ASE for the ²P_1/2−²D_3/2 transition. In addition, we observed collision-induced ASE for both transitions over a wide range of detuning of the pump frequency. The preliminary results of the experiment are presented, and the implications of the results for high-pressure copper-vapor lasers are discussed.

© 1987 Optical Society of America

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