Article
Refractive index measurements of solid parahydrogen
Optics Letters
(2011)
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 430–1100 nm. For a crystal stabilized at 4:4K, this refractive index is measured to be np−H2 = 1.130 ±0.001 at 514 nm. A slight, but significant, dependence on the final crystal-growth temperature is observed, with higher np−H2 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.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2011
Citation Information
Manori Perera, B. A. Tom, Y. Miyamoto, M. W. Porambo, et al.. "Refractive index measurements of solid parahydrogen" Optics Letters Vol. 36 (2011) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/manori_perera/6/