In: Physics
A flashlamp pumps one third of the atoms of a two-level system into the excited state.
a. Will it lase?
b. If the same flashlamp pumps a three-level system with the same saturation intensity, what fraction of the atoms will be excited into level 2?
c. Will it lase?
d. What about a four-level system?
e. Which of these systems will lase if the pump intensity is much larger than the saturation intensity?