Abstract

The ability to synchronize independently frequency tunable dual CO₂ laser pulses is of interest in multiphoton exitation, two-photon-pumped molecular lasers, nonlinear optical mixing and a wide variety of pump-probe experiments. The statistical fluctuations associated with two independent discharges in the temporal synchronization may be overcome by the use of a single discharge for both emissions. We report a new technique for the generation of single-mode dual CO₂ laser emissions from a TEA discharge using two temporally synchronized pulsed low pressure (LP) sections in a hybrid configuration. This technique overcomes the restriction of limited dual pulse combinations that was observed in previous attempts which relied on the variation of passive parameters such as cw LP section pressure and length.^1,2

© 1992 Optical Society of America