Refractive index measurements of solid parahydrogen

Manori Perera, Brian A. Tom, Yuki Miyamoto, Michael W. Porambo, Lauren E. Moore, William R. Evans, Takamasa Momose, Benjamin J. McCall

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Solid para-H2 is a promising gain medium for stimulated Raman scattering, due to its high number density and narrow Raman linewidth. In preparation for the design of a cw solid hydrogen Raman laser, we have made the first measurements, to our knowledge, of the index of refraction of a solid para-H2 crystal, in the wavelength range of 430-1100nm. For a crystal stabilized at 4:4K, this refractive index is measured to be np-H2 = 1.130 ± 0:001 at 514nm. A slight, but significant, dependence on the final crystal-growth temperature is observed, with higher np-H 2 at higher crystal-growth temperatures. Once a crystal is grown, it can be heated up to 10 K with no change in np-H2 . The refractive index varies only slightly over the observed wavelength range, and no significant birefringence was observed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)840-842
Number of pages3
JournalOptics Letters
Volume36
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 15 2011
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

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