Sub-T2optical pulse generation: Application to optically pumped far-infrared lasers

Several polar molecules possessing strong far-infrared (FIR) transitions have been optically pumped by a mode-locked CO
2
TEA laser in a single-pass configuration. All the resulting FIR pulses are shorter than the sub-T
2
pump pulses; subnanosecond FIR pulses are observed. These short FIR pulses exhibit lethargic gain, stimulated Raman emission, and multiple-pulse superradiance. The experimental results are modeled by numerical solution of the Maxwell-density matrix equations for two fields interacting with a three-level system. Level degeneracy is included, and the pump is described by a multimode power spectrum with a parabolic envelope, resulting in a periodic train of pulses. Variation of the detuning of the pump from resonance allows simulation of the superradiant or Raman cases. This fully coherent model, which is the major contribution of this paper, explains key experimental observations such as the noncoincidence of the Raman peak with the pump modulation minimum and the enhancement of multiple-pulse superradiance due to remanent polarization.