7B1 - Ruby laser loss measurement by comparison of R1, R2 thresholds

Abstract

A simple method of measuring the losses of a ruby laser resonant cavity has been developed in which the thresholds for R₁ line and R₂ line operation are compared. A quartz birefringent filter is placed in the cavity with quartz disk cut to allow Brewster-angle operation and of such a thickness that the separation between pass bands of the filter analyzer combination is 2.8nm. The analyzer, placed between the filter and the output mirror, consists of a stack of fused quartz plates at the Brewster-angle. A known loss is introduced into the cavity by means of a plate inclined to the laser beam at a known angle. With the filter set for R₂ operation the threshold is adjusted to a suitable value by rotating the loss plate to give an attenuation L_{2 pass}. The filter is then reset for R₁ operation and a different (larger) attenuation L1 must be introduced by the loss plate to raise the R₁ threshold to the same level. An analysis of the threshold populations of the ²E levels shows that the losses of the cavity due to all sources of loss other than the loss plate may be obtained from a plot of log L₁, against log L₂.

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