Comparative study of diode-pumped hydrocarbon free Rb and K vapor lasers

• The optimal operation conditions of hydrocarbon free Rb and K lasers are simulated.
• All the parameters of helium pressure, temperature and output mirror reflectivity are considered as optimized parameters.
• A comparative study on hydrocarbon free Rb and K laser is presented.
• A better capability is presented in hydrocarbon free K laser instead of hydrocarbon free Rb laser.

Based on the kinetic model of diode-pumped alkali vapor lasers, operation parameters including helium pressure, temperature and output mirror reflectivity are optimized for hydrocarbon free Rb laser and K laser. A comparative study on the output characteristics of hydrocarbon free Rb laser and K laser is also carried out. Results show that a better capability is presented in hydrocarbon free K laser instead of hydrocarbon free Rb laser, such as lower pump threshold, higher laser gain and optical-to-optical efficiency. The performance difference between K and Rb laser is mainly induced by the difference of helium pressure, which results in an evident difference on the absorption cross section and emission cross section.