Gain measurements at 543 nm in helium neon laser discharges

A single-mode frequency stable helium neon laser operating on the 543 nm neon transition was used to probe an electrical discharge in helium neon mixtures. Values for the optical gain at this wavelength were obtained. A comparison with the widely documented behaviour of the 633 nm transition, which shares the same upper state as the 543 nm transition, shows a marked difference in the variation of the optical gain with discharge pressure. This is shown to occur due to the differing behaviour of the lower laser state population densities with pressure. It is proposed that this could be due to the resonance peak in the electron excitation cross section from the ground state to the 2 level. Variation of gain with discharge current is also presented.