The measurement of the upper and lower laser level populations of an argon Z-pinch laser

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Abstract
Measurements of the upper and lower level populations for the 351.1 nm line of an argon Z-pinch discharge are described. The populations are calculated from experimentally determined values of the small-signal gain, spontaneous emission intensity and fluorescence line width. The population inversion ratio, which must be known with the laser operating in some reference condition, is found by the addition of nitrogen to the discharge. The effects of initial argon pressure, the addition of oxygen or neon to the discharge and the time dependence of the upper and lower level populations are described. The method should be applicable to other pulsed gas lasers.