Abstract

Large population inversions have been obtained in Cd¹ and Zn ions by using broadband soft-x-ray radiation from laser-produced plasmas to photoionize and thereby remove inner-shell d electrons from the atoms. This technique has presently produced lasers in the ultraviolet, visible and near infrared. The use of optical pumping techniques to transfer the population to higher lying levels may produce VUV and XUV lasers in the same and other species. Gains as high as 40 cm^-1 and inversions as high as 10¹⁵ cm^-3 have been produced in the present lasers. These large inversions suggest extraction energies approaching one mJ/cm3 may be possible for both the visible lasers and also for the transfer lasers operating at shorter wavelengths.

© 1984 Optical Society of America