Generation of laser-polarized xenon using fiber-coupled laser-diode arrays narrowed with integrated volume holographic gratings.

Volume holographic gratings (VHGs) can be exploited to narrow the spectral output of high-power laser-diode arrays (LDAs) by nearly an order of magnitude, permitting more efficient generation of laser-polarized noble gases for various applications. A approximately 3-fold improvement in (129)Xe nuclear spin polarization, P(Xe), (compared to a conventional LDA) was achieved with the VHG-LDA's center wavelength tuned to a wing of the Rb D(1) line. Additionally, an anomalous dependence of P(Xe) on the xenon density within the OP cell is reported-including high P(Xe) values (>10%) at high xenon partial pressures (approximately 1000 torr).