Efficient optically pumped NH 3 oscillators and amplifiers operating in the mid infrared

Optically pumped NH3 lasers have been widely investigated as sources of line tunable radiation in the 11–13-μm region. Efficient operation of pulsed NH3 lasers has been demonstrated,1 but only limited investigations have been carried out to characterize the behavior of the system as an amplifier.2 We report detailed measurements of the performance of NH3 amplifiers In both small- signal and saturated gain conditions. The results of these investigations are used to design efficient line-tunable NH3 oscillators.