Abstract
Results of the experimental study of population inversion in the resonant electronic transition \({B^3}{\pi _g} - {A^3}\sum _u^ + \) of nitrogen ions by optical pumping of atmospheric air and pure nitrogen by a femtosecond laser pulse at a wavelength of 950 nm are presented. It is shown that the inversion results from selective population of the \(N_2^ + \left( {{B^2}\sum _u^ + ,v' = 0} \right)\) excited state during multiphoton excitation of the autoionization state of the nitrogen molecule with an energy of 18.7 eV. Seed photons for superradiance at transitions of molecular nitrogen ions are photons of the axial supercontinuum that occurs in a filament at the corresponding wavelengths. The superradiance mode is implemented at the wavelength λ = 358.4 nm referred to the transition of the CN molecule.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
H. G. Heard, “Ultra-violet gas laser at room temperature,” Nature 200, 667–672 (1963).
A. Svedberg and L. Hogborg, “Observation of superradiant laser action in spark discharges in air at atmospheric pressure,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 12 (3), 102–108 (1968).
V. C. Antonov, I. N. Knyazev, and V. G. Movshev, “Generation UV nitrogen laser in the open air of the cuvette with transverse excitation,” Quantum Electron. 1 (2), 433–435 (1974).
S. K. Searles, “Superfluorescent laser emission from electron-beam pumped Ar + N2 mixtures,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 25 (12), 735–737 (1974).
C. B. Collins, A. J. Conningham, and S. M. Curry, “Stimulated emission from charge-transfer reactions in the afterglow of an e-beam discharge in N2 + He high pressure mixtures,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 24 (10), 477–478 (1974).
V. N. Ishchenko, V. N. Lisitsyn, A. M. Razhev, V. N. Starinsky, and P. L. Chapovsky, “The laser,” Opt. Commun. 13 (3), 231–234 (1975).
Q. Luo, W. Lu, and S. L. Chin, “Lasing action in air induced by ultra-fast laser filamentation,” Appl. Phys. B 76 (3), 337–340 (2003).
D. Kartashov, S. Alisauskas, G. Andriukaitis, A. Pugzlys, M. Shneider, A. Zheltikov, S. L. Chin, and A. Baltuska, “Free-space nitrogen gas laser driven by a femtosecond filament,” Phys. Rev., A 86, 033831 (2012).
M. N. Shneider, A. Bakuska, and A. M. Zheltikov, “Population inversion of molecular nitrogen in an Ar: N2 mixture by selective resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization,” J. Appl. Phys. 110, 083112 (2011).
J. Yao, B. Zeng, H. Xu, G. Li, W. Chu, J. Ni, H. Zhang, S. L. Chin, Y. Cheng, and Z. Xu, “High-brightness switchable multiwavelength remote laser in air,” Phys. Rev., A 84 (5), 051802 (2011).
J. Ni, W. Chu, C. Jing, H. Zhang, B. Zeng, J. Yao, G. Li, H. Xie, C. Zhang, H. Xu, S. L. Chin, Y. Cheng, and Z. Xu, “Identification of the physical mechanism of generation of coherent N2 emissions in air by femtosecond laser excitation,” Opt. Express. 21 (7), 8746–8752 (2013).
J. Yao, G. Li, C. Jing, B. Zeng, W. Chu, J. Ni, H. Zhang, H. Xie, C. Zhang, H. Li, H. Xu, S. L. Chin, Y. Cheng, and Z. Xu, “Remote creation of coherent emissions in air with two-color ultrafast laser pulses,” New J. Phys. 15 (2), 023046 (2013).
V. E. Prokopiev, N. G. Ivanov, D. A. Krivonosenko, and V. F. Losev, “A study of elementary physical processes in the plasma regions filamentation and optical breakdown in the propagation of fs laser pulses with a wavelength of 950 nm in air at atmospheric pressure,” in Program of V Russian Conference “The interaction of highly concentrated flows of energy materials in advanced technology and medicine”, Novosibirsk, March 26–29, 2013 (Parallel’, Novosibirsk, 2013), p.6.
V. E. Prokopev, N. G. Ivanov, D. A. Krivonosenko, and V. F. Losev, “Investigation of the elementary physical processes in plasma of filamentation and optical breakdown regions accompanying the propagation of the femtosecond laser pulse with wavelength of 950 nm in air at atmospheric pressure,” Rus. Phys. J. 56 (11), 1274–1280 (2014).
Yi. Liu, Y. Brelet, G. Point, A. Houard, and A. Mysyrowicz, “Self-seeded lasing in ionized air pumped by 800 nm femtosecond laser pulses,” Opt. Express 21 (19), 22791–22798 (2013).
Tie-Jun Wang, Jingjing Ju, Jean-Francois Daigle, Shuai Yuan, Ruxin Li, and Leang Chin See, “Selfseeded forward lasing action from a femtosecond Ti:Sapphire laser filament in air,” Laser Phys. Lett. 10 (12), 1–4 (2013).
Tie-Jun Wang, Jean-Francois Daigle, Jingjing Ju, Shuai Yuan, Ruxin Li, and See Leang Chin, “Forward lasing action at multiple wavelengths seeded by white light from a femtosecond laser filament in air,” Phys. Rev., A 88 (5), 053429 (2013).
S. V. Alekseev, N. G. Ivanov, B. M. Koval’chuk, V. F. Losev, G. A. Mesyats, L. D. Mikheev, Yu. Panchenko, N. A. Ratakhin, and A. G. Yastremskii, “Hybrid femtosecond laser system THL-100 on the base of XeF(C–A) amplifier,” Opt. Atmos. Okeana 25 (3), 221–225 (2012).
S. V. Alekseev, A. I. Aristov, N. G. Ivanov, B. M. Kovalchuk, V. F. Losev, G. A. Mesyats, L. D. Mikheev, Yu. N. Panchenko, and N. A. Ratakhin, “Multiterawatt femtosecond laser system in the visible with photochemically driven XeF(C-A) boosting amplifier,” Laser Part. Beams 31 (1), 17–21 (2013).
S. V. Alekseev, M. V. Ivanov, N. G. Ivanov, V. F. Losev, G. A. Mesyats, Yu. N. Panchenko, and N. A. Ratakhin, “Parameters of the THL-100 hybrid femtosecond laser system after modernization,” Rus. Phys. J. 58 (8), 1087–1092 (2015).
R. P. Madden and A. G. Parr, “Resonance phenomena in molecular photoionization: Impact of synchrotron radiation,” Appl. Opt. 21 (2), 179–188 (1982).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Original Russian Text © N.G. Ivanov, V.F. Losev, V.E. Prokop’ev, K.A. Sitnik, 2016, published in Optika Atmosfery i Okeana.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ivanov, N.G., Losev, V.F., Prokop’ev, V.E. et al. Superradiance by molecular nitrogen ions in filaments. Atmos Ocean Opt 29, 385–389 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1024856016040072
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1024856016040072