Superradiant light source for atmospheric remote sensing

POSTER

Abstract

We have studied coherent emission from ambient air and demonstrated efficient generation of laser-like beams directed both forward and backward with respect to a nanosecond ultraviolet pumping laser beam. The generated optical gain is a result of two-photon photolysis of atmospheric O2, followed by two-photon excitation of atomic oxygen. We have analyzed the temporal shapes of the emitted pulses and have thereby shown that a large atomic coherence may well be responsible for the observed temporal structures. Our results suggest that the emission process is coherence brightened in its nature, and is to be compared with ordinary lasing where atomic coherence remains small on the one hand and cooperative Dicke superradiance where atomic coherence is maximized on the other. The collective coherence in this process adds insight as to the optical emission physics. The present superradiant source holds promise for remote sensing techniques employing nonlinear spectroscopy.

Authors

  • Dmitri Voronine

    • Texas A\&M University, College Station, Texas 77843
    • Texas A\&M University, College Station, TX 77840
    • Texas A\&M University, College Station, TX 77843

  • Andrew Traverso

    • Texas A\&M University, College Station, TX 77843

  • Rodrigo Sanchez-Gonzalez

    • Texas A\&M University, College Station, TX 77843

  • Luqi Yuan

    • Texas A\&M University, College Station, TX 77843

  • Michael Grubb

    • Texas A\&M University, College Station, TX 77843

  • Kai Wang

    • Texas A\&M University, College Station, TX 77843

  • Alexei Zheltikov

    • Texas A\&M University, College Station, TX 77843

  • Arthur Dogariu

    • Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544

  • James Michael

    • Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544

  • Richard Miles

    • Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544

  • Yuri Rostovtsev

    • University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203

  • Vladimir Sautenkov

    • Texas A\&M University, College Station, TX 77843

  • Alexei Sokolov

    • Texas A\&M University, College Station, TX 77843

  • Simon North

    • Texas A\&M University, College Station, TX 77843

  • Marlan Scully

    • Texas A\&M University, College Station, TX 77843