Abstract

A new atomic filter is proposed. It operates at 534.9 nm. The new filter offers two important advantages for open-channel laser communications. First, its wavelength matches the output of the frequency-doubled Nd:BEL laser. Second, the filter overlays a solar Fraunhofer line, thereby offering intrinsic sunlight suppression. Ultranarrow-band optical filtering takes place within the singlet manifold of neutral-calcium vapor. Excellent filter properties are deduced from spectroscopic examination of the atomic system. A novel feature of the new filter is the potential for greater-than-unity internal photon conversion.

© 1990 Optical Society of America

422.7-nm atomic filter with superior solar background rejection

Jerry A. Gelbwachs
Opt. Lett. 15(4) 236-238 (1990)

Passive Fraunhofer-wavelength atomic filter at 422.7 nm

Jerry A. Gelbwachs and Yat C. Chan
Opt. Lett. 16(5) 336-338 (1991)

Lamp-pumped thallium atomic line filter at 535.046 nm

Bernhard P. Oehry, Walter Schupita, and Gottfried Magerl
Opt. Lett. 16(20) 1620-1622 (1991)

Experimental demonstration of internal wavelength conversion in the magnesium atomic filter

Y. C. Chan, M. D. Tabat, and J. A. Gelbwachs
Opt. Lett. 14(14) 722-724 (1989)

Solar background rejection by a pressure-broadened atomic resonance filter operating at a Fraunhofer wavelength

J. A. Gelbwachs and M. D. Tabat
Opt. Lett. 14(4) 211-213 (1989)