Pump absorption and saturation in the CH3F 496-μm laser

Abstract
Results are presented from a series of diagnostic experiments designed to measure the fundamental absorption parameters in CH3F for the P (20) CO2 laser line at 9.55 μm. These parameters include the small-signal absorption coefficient, the saturation intensity for the absorbing transition, and the homogeneous linewidth. These data provide a quantitative characterization of the pumping process for the cw CH3F laser operating at 496 μm.